As I begin the big purge, I look at these things I’ve dragged around with me most of my life. I’ve paid movers three times to tote a lot of it. I’ve boxed and unpacked countless times over the years. It’s exhausting. And totally unnecessary. I am having a garage sale on Saturday (the first of several, I am sure). I am asking my family what they want and giving them responsibility for the care and feeding of those heirlooms I won’t have room for. A daunting task, but I am determined!

One of my readers posted something a few weeks ago and it really hit home. She was holding something, showing it to her daughter. She said, ” This belonged to Aunt Mary. I can’t get rid of this!” Her five year old granddaughter said, “Nana…do you need that to remember Aunt Mary?” Out of the mouths of babes, such wisdom. No, I don’t need my grandpa’s broken lunch pail. I don’t need the Sloan’s Liniment bottle I fished out of my grandma’s barn. I don’t need my great-grandfather’s bowler hat or his walking stick. But I want them. They are part of my history. They are alive with their stories. How do you pass the stories on to the youngest generation without the props? I don’t know. I suppose I will whittle, and whittle, and keep those things that I think I cannot live without. Then I will whittle some more. I cannot possibly take my daughter’s suggestion and get a dumpster. How on earth can you do that? With that in mind, let’s look at the other side of the coin. I’ve always been good at that. What if everything were destroyed in a fire or flood? Just…gone? Would my life end? Of course not. Would I be sad? Sure I would. But, I’d still have the stories….just without the props.

I can do this. I can lighten my footprint and not leave a disaster behind for my girls to clean up. I spent two whole months emptying my mother’s house out. I was furious with her for leaving me with such a mess. I have since softened my heart in that regard, but man…that was a huge chore and one that I don’t want to leave for my girls. Because I know my daughter. She will rent a dumpster and off it will go. At least this way, my treasures will go to someone who will love them.