Hands down, the most precious piece of furniture in my home is my secretary style writing desk. I still remember the day I found it in this lovely furniture store in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was with one of my besties and we were just poking around. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. But then I saw HER. She was beautifully hand painted as though the artist sat down one day and simply danced all over her with swirls of watercolor in shades of sage green, amber and gold. Flowers were delicately carved into the top of each gorgeous leg.
She had three main drawers to hold pretty stationary, a writing journal and love letters. Two deep side drawers were long enough to hold ink pens and paint brushes. Six tiny drawers were just the right size to hold stamps, a couple of pencil sharpeners, some reading glasses perhaps. And then the most precious of all her features… a small curved door on each of her rounded corners served as the gatekeeper to the tiny rooms where her most precious treasures would be kept safe and hidden.
With one lingering gaze, I could imagine all of the artists who combined their talent and gifts working together to create this magnificent object d’art. She was priceless and timeless. She must have been built for someone truly special. Perhaps she was meant to be a wedding gift for a princess from her bridegroom. Maybe she had been the cherished possession of someone’s great-great-grandmother in Sweden or Paris? What on earth was she doing here in this furniture store in North Carolina?
I will never know the history of my secretary desk or what treasures she held in her drawers and tiny rooms. I do know that she could not have been more cherished and loved as she is by the young lady who purchased her nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Over the course of 23 years and 5,797 miles later, I have moved in and out of 9 places which I have called home. I never planned for that many moves, but life has a funny way of unfolding and takes the most unexpected detours. My journey led me across the country from North Carolina to Colorado to Oregon and finally returning to North Carolina. With every move, one of my first considerations was where to place my secretary. Most of those years she was situated in the foyer, greeting me every time I entered my home. A warm welcome indeed!
During my last five years in Colorado, she had to live in the garage below my 3-story walk up apartment. Even then, I kept a lamp on her and continued to store my pretty stationary and writing supplies inside her.
Though she stayed with me all those years, she had become the place to drop the mail and keys when I walked in the door. Life had become too busy to even think of sitting down in her comfy chair to hand write a letter to a loved one. Years went by. Then, one day I opened my mailbox and there was a letter addressed to “Ant Lori.” The next generation of a long line of writers in our family had taken the time to craft a sweet hand-written note. As I opened the card the very first words read “ant lori can you be my pen pal?” and the last words in this letter with five sentences read “PS. Please rihyte back.”
I hope we have brought back to life the long-lost love of letter writing and most importantly letter receiving. Nothing can exceed the joy I feel when I open my mailbox and I see a letter from Sarah. She’s the best pen pal an “ant” could ever wish for!
So, then the question is why did I just spend the time on this beautiful sunny summer afternoon to write a story about a desk? Here’s why. Without the story, the desk is just a bunch of wood screwed together with some paint on it. The very words it was designed to inspire are the very words which breathe life into it. It’s not just a writing desk. It’s the main character in a Lara Croft style adventure dream! And the very best keeper of ancient secrets! But, that’s a tale for another day.
Thank you for reading this Teardrop Tale.
Written with love,
Ant Lori
Look for Magic. Long for Wonder. Live for Dreams.
