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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Thursday's Thoughts: Saving Memories, Not Stuff

Thursday's Thoughts: a taste of what I'm thinking

As we continue to sort though my grandma's house, I'm having a hard time knowing what to save and what to keep.  It's not hard to guess I'm pretty biased on the kitchen things.  There are so many beautiful dishes, including depression glass.  While they're pretty to look at, will I ever use them?  And  where on earth will I store them until I find a place of my own?  Yes, many of the things are nice and may one day be quite useful.  But I don't need them, and I certainly don't need them right now.

I'm a saver, but I don't want to become (more of) a stockpiler.  There is beauty in simplicity and less is more.  If that's the case, then why do I hold onto things for so long?  I need to learn to save memories, not things. I have 4 boxes of papers in my closet filled with assignments, artwork and projects dating back to kindergarten.  While they are fun to look through, I don't need to save them.  I've started sorting through the boxes hoping to condense it down to just a small pile to save.  It's been fun reading through stories I wrote and looking back on lists of my favorite things at various ages.  Reading teachers' comments on report cards was also amusing.

I saved a few writing samples and report cards, but threw out most of the artwork, birthday cards and assignments.  A few of the stories I wrote made me laugh out loud. Kids say the funniest things and can be so blatantly honest.  It's interesting to look at the thought process of a child and even more interesting to stop and realize it was you.  One of my assignments was to write about my hero in life.  I started off writing about God being my hero and then ended with "my mom is also my hero because she tells my brother and I to stop fighting."   I bet teachers come across some pretty cute stuff while grading papers.  I'm sure they have to bite their tongues multiple times throughout the day as well.

It's easier to sort through papers than things that could be useful one day, but at least it's a start. Of course Pinterest is of no help in this area. It just gives me ideas of all the ways I could reuse things instead of getting rid of them.  Yes, these crafts are neat, but will I ever actually cut up all my old t-shirts and turn them into a rug?  If I find the time and motivation to start the project, will I finish it? And if I do actually find the time to make these re-purposed projects, will I use the final product?  I need to keep in mind would what I could do vs. what I will do, what's a nice idea vs. what's realistic.  In the end, it's all just stuff.  We can't take it with us when we die.  Okay, enough chatter, you really didn't need to hear all of that, and I should get back to sorting.

Food for Thought: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6: 19-21 

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