Joe and I spent this past weekend cleaning out the garage, going through boxes and boxes of precious memories and also lots of stuff collected through the years. It was both fun (especially when the kids joined us) and exhausting. Then yesterday we took an Expedition-load to Good Will and it felt sooooo good.
In our commitment to “lighten up,” I came across a box of items I packed shortly after Mom passed. Items from her bathroom drawers. Her makeup and hair products. I remember packing this box and even kept out several items at the time and used them. Then the rest I tucked away, knowing I shouldn’t keep it all yet not ready to throw it away.
I came across this…
A little pill box…filled with Tic Tacs. 🙂
My mom always kept Tic Tacs nearby. Over the past five years, I’ve found them tucked in the side pockets of purses she used. But this is a little treasure I’ll keep on my bathroom vanity from now on. But um…if you’re ever in my bathroom and need a Tic Tac, don’t eat these. They might be a tad hard. ; )
I also came across my old Monkees lunch box…
No telling how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches this lunchbox has seen. I wish I still had my favorite lunch box from elementary years… A Julia lunchbox. Does anybody else remember that TV show? I loved that show.
Next, I found a picture of Gran (Joe’s Mom) with the kids (circa 1993)…
Claudette died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 1995. She was 58. So beautiful and so young (younger feeling now than it did to me back then, for sure). Hard to believe it’ll be 20 years ago this year since she left for Home.
Last thing I’ll share…
Me with my older brother, Doug, circa 1966. Gotta love that bang action. And the bow tie is an especially nice touch, Doug.
It’s fun looking back through the years but it’s also sobering. Not only to realize how swiftly the years fly, but also to see how quickly we accumulate stuff. Some of it precious, for sure. But still…stuff. Stuff that we’ll leave behind in a blink when we head Home. And Joe and I have more than our fair share. We’re working to change that, though. We’re working to lighten the load. And it feels good!
What precious treasure have you found while cleaning out boxes or going through closets? Something from your childhood? From a loved one gone on? Something someone gave you that you forgot about? I’d love to know.
Now to write for a while then finish going through a few more boxes…as I work to lighten the load.
Blessings on your Tuesday,
Tammy
Tamera Alexander
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I can only imagine what I might find if I decided to clean away the stuff we have. I still have some boxes here from my husband’s mother and she’s been gone for 38 years. We need to do this and get rid of stuff so we can sell this big house and down size. Easier said then done.
Shirley
Sooo understand, Shirley. It’s a hard job to even think about tackling, much less doing it. And it’s taken us some time (and motivation) to get it done. But now that we’re mid-stream, so to speak, we’re loving lightening our load. Especially when we think of our children not having this major burden once we’re gone Home too. That thought has spurred us on, as does the thought that someone else could be enjoying and using this stuff.
As the guys unloaded the stuff at Goodwill yesterday, they commented more than once, “Hey, this is great stuff!” Which made me smile big time. Not only are those things not “cluttering” our livesn (and our garage and closets) anymore, they’re brightening someone else’s walk.
Let me know when you go through those boxes belonging to your mother-in-law. I’d love to know what you find. Much love, friend.
I already know that there are knitting needles in one of the boxes but can’t remember what else there is.
I kept a lot of her things and have her dining room furniture a bedroom set and some treasured lamps. Have been using these things all these years but sadly to say that I don’t knit.
As for my garage , I have to do this by myself since my husband can’t help much. Every time I look at it I’m overwhelmed by all that’s to be done. Maybe I can tackle it before it gets hot and my husband can come out in the garage and sit in a chair and say what he wants to keep and what he wants to get rid of. He never gets rid of anything. So probably won’t be much going.(lol)
Shirley
Bless you, Shirley, having to do it on your own. Maybe invite a relative or friend, too, who can help you be brutal when it comes to letting stuff go, to letting others be blessed by your offering. Several times I turned and asked our kids this weekend if this was something they would one day want. Sometimes they said yes, sometimes I just got “that look.” But it did help having a second opinion. Also, I took pictures of several things that I wanted to keep in my memory but that there was simply NO reason for me to keep that certain something. Digital takes up far less space!
And those knitting needles. How precious. Is there anyone in your family who knits? What a treasured gift that would be.
Trying again since it wouldn’t let me post from my phone. It has been a while since we have gone through boxes and things. I can’t imagine what we would find. But after Mom DaCosta passed away, we helped clean out a lot of her stuff. We found a large box full of craft supplies! In it, we found a VeggieTales piece of material that is now a pillow for our precious little boy (can you believe he is almost a year old? Five days!). I took several things home to use. But I had no clue how much she loved crafting since she was sick so much of the time I knew her.
A year old!! A year??? Gracious, Catherine, that’s hard to believe. He’s such a cutie, too. Love the name Connor as well. What a blessing to get that glimpse into Mom DaCosta’s life and to be able to use some of her stuff. Cool about that pillow.
LOVE that photo of you and Doug, Tammy! That’s an expression I’ve seen on your face SO many times! Precious!!
Ken and I are right there with you trying to pare down and make our next move (years away, but still…) much easier than the last. Our goal is to only own what we need, what we use, and what we treasure. We have a ways to go, but we’re getting there… 🙂
You and Ken have inspired us to “lighten up,” Deb, so thank you!! We still have a lot of paring down to go, too. But we’re getting there. 😉
My husband took our Christmas decorations to the storage unit. And now that I’m not working I asked him to bring home the “school boxes”. I had taught 2nd grade in a Christian school for 16 years and loved every moment of it! When the school closed I worked as a receptionist many years. Now I figure it’s time to ‘lighten’….but wasn’t prepared for the memories of field trips, Flat Stanley project, phonic charts, lesson plans, letter cutouts, class hymnals and I’ll bet 500 paperback books! I was sorting, throwing, and commenting and my husband said,”You were a wonderful teacher. You made a big difference in the lives of those kids.” That was worth it all. I’m keeping many of the books for our grandkids (3 and 6).
How wonderful, Debbie, to look back and see tangible reminders of lives you’ve touched and changed for eternity. Think of the ripple effect and of how many lives you’ve touched in that regard, too. #TeachersChangeLives Love the collection of stuff you found too. Quite a mental image! 🙂
What a wonderful thing you are doing, Tammy. 🙂
I’m sure the “stuff” you’ve given away will bless others who need the items.
Even though I’ve gone through a lot of my parents’ things, there is still much to sort through – – waiting
for me in my basement and garage. *sigh* Reading your post today has given me a bit of motivation to get
back to that task. 🙂
I will add that one thing that makes me smile is how my Daddy always put a date on everything. I’ve found travel brochures and even packs of matches he and Mama picked up (when they went on bus trips with senior tour groups) and there would be a date on each one. I love seeing Daddy’s handwriting—it somehow keeps him “close” to me.
Thanks for sharing those sweet photos too (you were such an adorable little girl!!).
Love, Patti Jo
You’re so sweet, Patti Jo. Thanks for those kind words. How wonderful that your Dad left those little “love notes” to you. I doubt he had any idea how precious those recorded dates would be to you someday, but they are. I kept every letter or card I came across this weekend. I’m slowly (emphasis on s-l-o-w-l-y) working to get all the older family pictures and some of the letters on digital format so that other family members can have them too. These letters and pictures often fade over time (and recipes too, which I treasure and have typed them out before the ink mostly faded away) and it’s important to me to preserve them. And with phones that have cameras, that process is made much easier. Hugs to those sweet kitties. (Ahhhh-choo!)
I spent the past weekend going through the garage too. Not as many treasures, but I did get rid of two garbage bags worth of junk/broken toys, a box of toys for the neighbor kids who just started over after losing everything, and a bag of clothing for the local homeless shelter. I have pared down the past to a hope chest. I display a few key items of my family heritage but I find the one glass cat from my grandmother’s vast cat collection mean infinitely more when it is the only one.
In my current WIP the POV has stored away all the things that remind him of his deceased wife in an abandoned cabin on the property. I have tinkered with what would be packed away (she died in 1912 so it probably wouldn’t be much). The one item that I will have is a quillwork purse similar to the one below, a gift from a patient she helped when no one else would.
I think writing has made me realize the importance of detail. Like your mother’s love of Tic-Tac’s, it really is the habits and unique things we do and love that make items take on memories. Can’t wait to read your next work and see how God uses this moment of reflection to deepen your characters.
http://fineart.ha.com/itm/american-indian-art/a-sioux-beaded-hide-purse-c-1900/a/5105-50201.s
I ‘walked’ this journey with you as you described what you have been accomplishing the last few days. We have been getting ready to downsize and it is a huge job. Our kids all have homes of their own and we still have Rubbermaid tubs full of some of their childhood ‘stuff’!! When do they come and take that away?? It has been many, many years since my Mother went to be with Jesus, but I still have one box labeled “My Mom’s Favorite Stuff That No One Else Would Care About”. I opened it a few months ago to finally sort and toss, but couldn’t. I think we are going to have to buy a smaller house with a huge storage unit in the back yard. I’m thinking that would make for less yard work; so it is a win-win situation!!
I was finally cleaning out a shelf in the kitchen during a recent remodel and found my mom’s old meat grinder. I probably got it from her in 1988 or so, but have not been able to part with it. I didn’t use it…ever. It’s not worth anything…even on ebay. And it’s not going to mean anything to my nieces and nephews. But to me it represented warmth and love that was put into creating something as simple as ham salad from the leftover Easter ham. Put a chunk in, grind (hand crank) until gone, then follow up with a saltine or two to clean out the leftover ham. I’ve still thought about that time with my mom, and I guess I don’t really need the grinder to remember. But I do miss it…just a bit.
What a big job to tackle! Sounds like you had some fun moments, too!
My husband is an accountant and does people’s taxes on the side. So we have a huge area in our basement filled with banker boxes of his clients old tax returns. Legally he has to keep them for 7 years, but a lot of the boxes were over 10 years old. (Hubby is a bit of a pack rat). In the last few weeks, he amazed me by actually getting rid of several boxes! A couple of empty shelves now!
Cheers,
Sue
Near the end of last year, we did some annual cleaning & you’re right…the things & stuff that we keep! We found some junk but also discovered forgotten treasures that included pics of our kids& clothing they wore when they were so small. It’s hard to believe sometimes how fast the years have flown by. Where has the time gone??!! But aren’t you thankful for the small treasures you find that remind you of a time gone by that holds those precious memories? My kids asked me @ Christmas why our curio was arranged the way that it is & I explained that each figure tells a story about how I met their dad & how we were blessed with them. My best friend’s mom was a 2nd mom to me for 21 years til the Lord called her home & on my piano is one of her blue birds she collected………….goods memories. Cherish them!
Angela