I hate to give or throw anything away as it would be a waste of money, but I do feel much better living in a clean (uncluttered) house.

But don’t tell my wife or I will lose the baseball bats that haven’t been swung in 10 years or my old baseball card collection from 15 years ago.

Although I know my kids are older than yours (two of mine are in college and the baby in high school) I still had to chuckle at the mention of the totes. In our attempt to get organized (emphasis on attempt) we counted over 30 large totes for our boys to go through, at their own pace, when they are adults. I never had the heart to throw anything away and know that they will either declare, “Why did you keep all this jumk?!” or “Wow, look at what I did when I was 2!” Either way, I’ve come to see these totes as part of their inheritance. They are my way of saying, “Your childhood was so precious to me that I give it back to you, from the depths of my heart.”

My grandfather died earlier this year and, like you’ve mentioned, his life came down to a few precious “things” and yet those things were priceless to us as we each embraced a rosary or a tablecloth or a picture that hung on his kitchen wall. Life’s stages are so beautifully captured in the relationships and even in the things that represent the stages and relationships.

Thank you, Patrice, for this beautiful article.

Cheryl