There is a show on TV called “Clean sweep”. The concept is that people whose house is overun by clutter ask for help. The clean sweep team shows up takes everything out on the lawn, helps them sort through it, get rid of the junk and re organize what is left. Usually I find it ridiculous and cannot believe people would agree to show how messy they are on national television.
But today I saw an episode that was different. The husband had been battling cancer and so they had let the housework slip. But he was in remission now and they were ready to resume their lives and wanted to re claim their home. Well one of the items that surfaced was a mesh mold of his head and torso, that had been used to keep him perfectly still during his radiation therapy treatments. It would be placed over him and bolted to the table. There were target marks on it along the throat and neck where the beam was supposed to hit. Just looking at it was troubling enough but the host of the show encouraged them to part with it as it served no purpose now and was a reminder of a difficult time…After a moment of thought they agreed and then the host asked them how they wanted to get rid of it…The wife suggested burning it and so they did. They built a small fire and watched as the mask slowly melted away…You could see the emotion on their faces…This was more than getting rid of trash, it was letting go of the worst time in their lives, it was turning a page, closing a door…I was moved to tears…