This sink tells the story of my motherhood…..of how I have loved, how I have been needed, how I have lived since becoming a mother…..And tomorrow it will be tossed in the dumpster with the rest of my kitchen…

This is my kitchen sink.  It has a lot of stories to tell.  And tomorrow it will be tossed in a dumpster with the rest of my kitchen.

I’ve been waiting for this moment for seven and half years.  When we bought the house, with it’s 1960’s disintegrating cabinets, we were already dreaming up what our remodeled kitchen would look like.

But somewhere along the way I started to love this little sink….and saying goodbye hurts more than I expected it would.

Maybe it’s the late nights I tiredly leaned over it’s edges washing pump parts and bottles as I wallowed in my conflicted emotions over having my baby in daycare.

Maybe it’s the laughter I can still hear from long winter days when I would fill the sink with toys and bubbles for the kids to play in just to pass the time until dinner.

Maybe it’s the ever-present paint stains on the sides of the sink or the cup full of soaking paintbrushes…..reminders of the crafts and creativity this old kitchen has inspired.

Maybe it’s the endless pile of dishes left behind for me by mouths that are still too young to prepare their own food.

Maybe it’s the memory of fresh vegetables from our garden being washed by round perfect fingers as happy toes splash around the garden basket.

Maybe it’s the wine glass I place in the sink at the end of a long day….a reward for how hard I have worked and how much I have given to my family.

Maybe it’s the trinkets, cards, crafts, photos, clay creatures and mini bird houses that have adorned the sink – treasures given to me with loving hands and wide eyes.

This sink tells the story of my motherhood.   Etched into it’s old scratched sides are moments and memories of how much I have been needed these past seven and a half years.

I know I will love my new kitchen.  I also know my new sink will have it’s own stories to tell.

But with the end of this sink also comes what feels like the closing of a chapter.  My babies are bigger now.  They don’t need me as much.  I no longer have pump parts, I no longer have kids home all hours of the day…..just a sink full of dishes as a reminder of their joyful presence.

But my new sink won’t be lonely.  Even though our memories may take on a new shape and color, my kids still need me just as much.

So with my new sink ordered and ready for installation, I look forward to the next chapter in my beautiful journey as a mother.