Donation Complete

Cleaning out the closets took me a bit longer than I had planned. I had underestimated just how many clothes Michael and I had. Secondly sorting through the clothing was an emotional chore. I ran into shirts and pants that were his favorites to wear. I realized that I would never see them on him again. I found shirts and pants and other items that we had bought on our many trips together over the years -- T-shirts and jeans from our many trips to Montreal, a pair of shoes from a quick trek to Chicago, a pair of pants from Miami, a jacket from P'town. Most items of clothing carried some small memory. I also found pieces of clothing that reminded me of special events in our nine years together. A shirt reminded me of one of our parties. A T-shirt brought back memories of working in the yard and another reminded me of bartending together at Fountain Square.

I'm so fortunate to have all those memories that each piece of clothing symbolizes. Although I decided to donate most of his clothes (okay, I did keep his favorite pair of jeans), a big part of him is still with me. Every time I remember a memory, a part of him is with me.

Today I donated a total of 47 pairs of pants (27 dress, 20 jeans), 63 short-sleeved shirts, 16 long-sleeved dress shirts, 50 T-shirts, 28 undershirts, 30 pairs of socks, 16 workout shirts, 10 shorts, 8 sweatpants, 12 pairs of shoes, 15 fleece, 2 belts, and 3 coats today to Wheeler Mission on behalf of Michael.

I find comfort in knowing that people less fortunate that Michael and me will be wearing his clothes, and I hope one day to be walking downtown and see a familiar T-shirt or dress shirt. It will keep him close.