May 26, 2006

Pack Rat

Okay, my confession for today is that I am a pack rat. I've known this for quite some time, but it was especially confirmed yesterday afternoon. I decided to start sorting through some of the Rubbermaid bins we have in the basement in preparation for our move (most likely in the fall). I went through two bins of books and decided to get rid of about half of them (though I just cannot get rid of my Janette Oke books). This is a huge step because I have a REALLY hard time getting rid of books. The worst part is that I know I won't really get much out of them.

Then I took my memoribilia bin upstairs to sort through. It was nearly filled with journals, letters, deflated balloons, programs, etc., mostly from my Northland days. I saved EVERYTHING! Literally. I don't even remember what some of it was from. I must say my throw away pile is rather large and my keep pile is small. The hard part will be actually throwing the letters in the garbage and putting them outside in the bin w/o rescuing half of them. I must admit it is funny to read them all and see who myself and my friends liked, who was dating whom, what the trials of our lives were. Boy, I'm glad we all grew up since then. There are some qualities we had then that I do miss though, such as innocence and fervor for what our future held and also the opportunities we had for fellowship, exhortation, and encouragement. Looking back has definitely been bittersweet.

Although I do not enjoy my present task, I am glad I get to do it. Walking down memory lane can be fun. It can also be a little embarrassing. I have half a mind to mail the letters to the people who wrote them so they can get a smile, or a grimace, too! Then they would have to throw them away!