Throw It Out Thursday - It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

Without an attic or a garage, our basement became a dumping ground for toys, memorabilia and other displaced things. The hardest part about tackling this area was discovering mold-covered photo albums from elementary school and high school. I wish I had taken the time to preserve the now ruined photos in scrapbooks (as a former Creative Memories consultant, I know better!) I don't have negatives for what I lost (some were even Polaroids.) I took a few minutes to mourn my loss. *sniff*sniff* Then author Gail Blanke reminded me "The memories are in your heart, not in the stuff" ("Throw Out Fifty Things" page 67.)

So, this week I am happy to discard:

• Craft supplies (which I often collect but never use)
• Picture frames
• Decorations (wreath, wall art, ceramic cat, Easter basket)
• Magazines & books
• Toys and stuffed animals our son has outgrown
• Outdated papers, sample magazines & writer's guidelines
• 2 dining room chairs
• Housewares (A super shooter I purchased to sell on eBay and a casserole carrier)
• Old business supplies from my eBay Trading Assistant & store-owner days
• Miscellaneous supplies from other former jobs

And the water-damaged photos, scrapbooks, yearbooks & foot locker from my childhood :( That's 11 items from our basement and 29 overall.

Losing the photos caused me to think of flood and fire victims, not to mention the people of Haiti who lost possessions as well as loved ones. My loss is small compared to these. Still, I want to honor the memories that can only remain in my heart now that the photos are gone, namely my 8th grade graduation party, my Sweet 16 party, and the friends I grew up with. How I loved the neighborhood girls that sang Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam songs with me and the boys across the street who lent me their mix tapes. This fly-girl-turned-suburbanite owes a portion of my well-roundedness to those humble but fun beginnings. It might be hard to say goodbye to my photos, but at least I get to carry yesterday in my heart forever.

Do you have a memory you'd like to honor? If so, post it here.