The Brown Leather Chair

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I have a cool Halloween quilt that needs the binding sewn on.  I made the quilt LAST Halloween, but just have not gotten around to this last step in the finishing process.  The quilt was super hard to do, with all those Plan-Ahead-Tessellations.  I don’t even want to think about how I held my breath through that entire construction process, for fear I was going to get a color wrong or a piece sewn on kitty-wampus.

But that isn’t what I want to talk about.  The subject of this post is the brown leather chair.  My husband and I bought that chair for our son five years ago when we moved into our present home.  Our son was living in college housing at that time, and had no room for the chair in his room at school, so we got to keep it in our living room, where I have gotten quite used to it.  A week ago, our son (who has been home since January when he graduated) moved down to Cal Poly, where he is a graduate student.  He found a fabulous rental unit on a horse ranch in Santa Margarita and now has his very own proper home, with loads of room for all the furniture he wants.  He would like his brown leather chair back now.

I love that chair.  And I don’t want to give it up.  It is rich in symbolism to me.  When I sit in the chair I think of my son and how he will spend many hours in it reading, studying, and relaxing.  Just like I spent so many hours in a certain rocking chair with him when I brought him home from the hospital.  Just like I spent so many hours with him on my lap, reading stories to him when he was a little boy.  When I see the chair in my living room, I am pleased with its solidarity and the way it fits so well into our home.  I am reminded of my son, who is now a man furnishing his own home, of which this chair will be a focal point.  The chair is incredibly comfortable, and I will miss sitting in it.  My son, who for years was a bit unsure of himself, is now comfortable in his own skin and confident in his ability to move successfully and independently through the world.  We have spent many an hour sitting in this chair by the fireplace, discussing matters of importance and personal philosophies.   I will miss him being around. 

I do not want to give up this chair.  But I must.

26 responses to “The Brown Leather Chair”

  1. The quilt is beautiful Nicole, but the sentiment — well, it brought a tear to my eye. It’s so hard to part with our babes…so sad that it must be that way. {sigh}

  2. The quilt is beautiful Nicole, but the sentiment — well, it brought a tear to my eye. It’s so hard to part with our babes…so sad that it must be that way. {sigh}

  3. Your chair is going to a good home and just think its his turn to sit in the chair and think back on memories of you and when he sits on it he will be near to you.

  4. Your chair is going to a good home and just think its his turn to sit in the chair and think back on memories of you and when he sits on it he will be near to you.

  5. now is his turn to remember all the good times and you also know you will have a nice place to sit when you go for a visit I think he should get the quilt as well it seems wrong to seperate such a good pair .
    Hugs to you Beth

  6. now is his turn to remember all the good times and you also know you will have a nice place to sit when you go for a visit I think he should get the quilt as well it seems wrong to seperate such a good pair .
    Hugs to you Beth

  7. What a lovely story and a beautiful quilt. It sounds like your son has found his path- good for him. Sons are great. Mine is quite character and never a dull moment.

  8. What a lovely story and a beautiful quilt. It sounds like your son has found his path- good for him. Sons are great. Mine is quite character and never a dull moment.