Letting Go of: Memorabilia

Some life event occurs which prompts you to downsize your possessions in order to live more simply.  You decide to start with your adult son’s childhood-through-college items since he moved out several years ago.  Most of the items you’ve held onto have sentimental value to you. 

1.  I purchased 5 Sterilite 25-quart containers to sort his items into.

2.  I gathered up all of his possessions...left behind when he moved out...from the attic, closets, and shelves.

3.  I decided on his 5 categories and sorted the items into the 5 tubs:  stuffed animals, and baby quilts fashioned by family members;  special toys and children’s books; other books; school-related papers such as certificates of achievement and report cards, etc.; and photos and his baby book. 

4.  The filled containers stacked neatly into one corner of a spare closet until I delivered them to my son a few months ago when he and his small family moved into a larger town home.

5.  My minimalist son quickly decided what to keep for his young son and himself; the rest became a donation. 

Perhaps the moral of this story is to check with your children first as it seems they have a much easier time of letting go of mementos that we held onto for years and years for sentimental or other reasons.