Socks & Sisters

Friday evening we joined the stream of traffic that flows south on the QE II highway.  We were looking forward to an evening in the Rimrock Room at the Palliser and a sister-day.  The trip down went according to plan, except for the flash of light on the freeway that will probably translate into a request for donation that I expect will arrive in our mailbox.  Our check-in was pleasant and predictable sending us on our way up the elevator to our room.

We exited the elevator and rounded the corner when we spied something out of place.  Two objects were strewn in the middle of the posh carpeting.  Gray and wrinkled up dirty socks lay right in our path, so un-Palliser like.  They were close enough together that someone might have stepped out of them quickly and kept running.  We had one more corner to navigate before we came to our room and it occurred to me that we might round that last corner and find the rest of the person’s clothes.  In fact we might see the bare-naked backside of someone in a big hurry to get rid of his clothes and get to his room.  That would have made a great story but it didn’t happen.  There were only two socks crumpled up in the hallway.

Saturday morning the socks were gone and we were headed for a sister-day.  There was a bathroom to paint, donations to gather up, boxes to pack, tears to wipe away, and laughter to breathe in.  Together we worked through closets, rooms, and memories to get a home ready for sale.  Greg painted and the two sisters created donation bags for the garbage and for Sally Ann.  My sister is a woman with a lovely generous spirit who loves to read which means we packed books, lots of books, and gave lots away.  Together we accomplished more than one could alone.  And we found socks!

By the end of a day of packing and sorting there was a small heap of socks that needed a mate.  Some of them probably had a mate in the pile, but others most likely had their mate disappear into the washing machine’s Bermuda Triangle.  We saved the pile so that sister of mine can match as many as possible because like people, socks work better together.  Every time you fold two socks together think about that-would you?  If you joined forces with someone else what might you accomplish together that seems impossible alone?