With my kids starting puberty, I was able to go through ALL of the baby and grade school memories and decide what should be kept and what can be pitched. The kids even helped when it came time to unpack the boxes for their rooms. They personally decided what they wanted to keep accessible and what could go in "deep storage". I did help with that part, otherwise they would have kept EVERYTHING!
I admit I teared up a time or two, with images of memories filling my mind as I would hold up a toddler shirt that was worn by a little man that LOVED the Wiggles. Or when I found a plushie that was the crib mate for my sleeping angel when she started sleeping through the night.
They weren't the only ones who wanted to hold onto a time in their life. I uncovered small boxes of keepsakes from both high school and college. Several love notes I wrote to my husband during our dating years, movie stubs, photos of trips and friends. There were even a couple of boxes of teaching supplies and materials that I thought I may need someday.
I also was able to discover artifacts that belonged to my grandma (some of her stuff was being stored in my basement before she died) and my mother-in-law (Pops didn't want to make the final decision on what stayed and went without someone else looking through it). It was both heart warming and fascinating to see what these matriarchs felt compelled to hold on to.
With each tote I opened, I felt like an archeologist on a historic dig. Sifting through moments in time to discover what life was like for them. I'll admit it, I didn't get rid of much of their stuff. I did however, go through it all and organize it into bigger totes that are now labeled in "deep storage".
I may have gotten rid of TONS of crap, but I do think I kept the best treasures for someone to discover for themselves one day!
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