The Red Bag

We’ve always had the red toiletries bag.  Russ brought it with him into our marriage and I didn’t think much about it, other than to be grateful that I now had access to a toiletries bag.  We’ve used it many times over the last 24.5 years; anniversary trips, family vacations, beach escapes--wherever we went, the red bag was there stuffed with all of the accoutrements of the well groomed family. 

I started noticing a few years ago that the red bag was looking a little hammered.  And well it should after carrying our toothbrushes for almost a quarter of a century!  It must have rubbed up against some bleach, because at some point I noticed a big faded mark on it.

Every now and then I’d think that we were really due a new toiletries bag, but then I’d pack the red one away and never think about it again until the next trip.

One day last spring I actually thought about the red bag while I was at a store, and sure enough, the store had nice new un-bleached toiletries bags.  So I plopped one into my cart and brought it home, happy at the thought of being able to retire the red one.

But when I told Russ about my purchase I didn’t get the response that I’d expected.  Sure, he used the new bag.  But instead of putting the red bag in the trash, it remained in the corner.  For weeks. 

It turns out that he wasn’t all that excited about having a new toiletries bag and throwing away the old one, because the red bag was the one that he’d been given when he was going to BYU, and had then taken on his mission. 

I thought of that while I was getting Jason all ready for his mission; wondering which of the (bazillion) things we were buying he would maintain a businesslike relationship with, and which things he would develop an emotional connection with.  Who knows what it will be—but I kind of like the idea that every time we’ve used the red bag through the years, it’s been a little piece of personal history for my sweet husband. 

And that is why we won’t be throwing it away any time soon…