Jane was devastated when her mother passed away

she had lived a long life full of love for her family

over fifty years of marriage to a devoted husband

raising three children who were now all married 

Jane did her best to console her grieving father

she took the lead in arranging the funeral

her father granted her power of attorney

his wife had handled everything financial in their long marriage

many months later she visited with her father

he was still in mourning and very sad

he did not have the strength to go through his wife belongings

Jane stepped up again and started to clean out her mothers closet

her mother had kept so many things from the past

her own faded wedding dress

the first worn shoes from each of her three children

every single school report card good and bad for each child

Jane took her time looking at all her mothers possessions

it was like turning the clock back to her own childhood

reliving the past through objects and photographs 

it was a daunting task to sift through so many memories

she decided to put everything into categories

things to be kept for her father to treasure

other items to be shared with her two brothers

unwanted stuff would be donated or thrown away

it was relatively easy to decide who would get things to keep

but ever so hard to consign anything to be discarded 

she felt it was disrespectful to her mothers memory

but the volume was so great it had to be done

she came across a small box tied with pink ribbons

letters from an old family friend to her mother

recording the intimate details of their long running affair

should she share her mother’s infidelity with the family or keep it secret