I often think of the time when I got married. Things were simple. We moved into a small 2-bedroom duplex with our wedding gifts (and it wasn’t much, not like these couples get today) some gifted used furniture from our parents and all the excitement and promise of being newlyweds!

I will NEVER forget all my “firsts” as a homemaker. The first meal I cooked, the first load of laundry I folded, our first Halloween, the first Christmas tree I decorated, etc. I remember it all so vividly. I also recall how special every memento surrounding these small but wonderful milestones became so important to me. They were pieces of a “memory puzzle” that invoked warm feelings and fond memories every time they appeared. That special Christmas ornament, the his and her t-shirts you had made for your honeymoon, your wedding bouquet so carefully tucked away to preserve its beauty, the lovely wedding and “welcome to your new home” cards with sweet heartfelt messages so lovingly written, the handed down recipes you started collecting in your new cookbook from the generations before you… I think you are getting the point. Life brings you all kinds of “special” and if you are anything like me you hold on to it tight with grateful arms and a full heart.

So, jump ahead 40 years, 4 kids, 7 grandkids and a lifetime full of “special” and what do you have??? A HOUSE full of “special”… closets full of “special”… drawers, attics, garages, basements, and bins ALL full of “special”. You are SURROUNDED by oodles of magnificent special memory puzzle pieces that all connect together so perfectly the joys, blessings, and memories it took decades to create.

Every year when I put up the Christmas decorations, the memories come flooding back with every special ornament I unwrap. Ya know, the ones your kids made you in elementary school? The ones that INSTANTLY make you babble and cry like a baby every time??

Then you have those days when you’re like… OK! I am going to “de-clutter”! That’s it!! Well… you know what happens… EVERY TIME… you cave like the whipped cream on a melting chocolate cream pie! “I can’t throw THIS away… it was from our first dinner, our first vacation, little Johnny’s first steps, little Suzy’s first day of school, and the list goes on!

So, 2 days later you are making the “I’ll make it look good” trip to Goodwill with ONE, NOT full, box to donate and convincing yourself, welp… that’s good for this year! I’m awesome!! Issues.

One day a couple years ago my husband suggests “downsizing”. The market was perfect for it, we could cash out our equity and move into something smaller and more manageable. Makes sense right? Looks good on paper, really smart move financially, a no brainer! Except… I LOVE my house! I LOVE my land. So, long story short, we decided to make the move! Found a place we wanted to go, and it was a plan! Well, you know those well laid plans, right??

Here was the challenge…our oldest daughter’s wedding would be going on at the same time, that I was helping to plan and style, our younger son and daughter in law would be expecting their first baby, and if that wasn’t enough, my husband unexpectedly had to have major surgery for a VERY unexpected illness. All of this happening when we have already sold the house, (it sold in 3 days), and we need to pack and sort! Just to give you an idea, we were going from 5000 sq ft to 2200. Leaving a house with more storage than I have ever seen!!!

So, with all of this going on, I truly did my best to purge. Even my husband said he was proud of me! BUT I quickly realized it WASN’T enough. Our new house has very little storage and with everything that was going on, I was NOT prepared to move from what I had to what I was moving into! And quite honestly, I didn’t want to! It’s SO hard! I don’t WANT to choose what to keep and what to let go of!! I know a lot of you understand! Why should I have to??? It’s all mine! And I STILL like it all!!! It’s not fair and I want to throw the biggest tantrum! Again, ISSUES.

Well, lo and behold, we were all moved in and had both storage rooms full and a storage unit too!!! UGH. We moved in Dec 1 so all I cared about was getting ready for Christmas so all that would have to wait….and wait…and wait. Here it is July, and we are still sorting. Little by little we hammer away at it. I did get my dish and table design inventory organized. That was easy. Its dishes and decor pieces. It’s not sentimental or in my heart. It’s all the other “stuff” the “special” I struggle with.

The other challenge of downsizing is “stocking up”. I am used to buying extra when I find a great buy. Toilet paper, canned goods, etc. I still have boxes of all of that we are trying to use up because I have no closet to put it in lol!

I know we will get there. But this was the first time in all our moves over the years that we went smaller. It’s been quite a challenge to say the least. BUT I am so thankful. I really am. In all my venting I may sound like I’m not, but I truly know we are blessed. We will figure it all out. All the “special” will find its place. It will leave room for so much more “special” to be created. More grandbabies, more life events, good or bad, more memory puzzle pieces to connect to the “special” puzzle of life. In the end, the “special” will be in our hearts and the “stuff” will be long forgotten. 🙂

Written with love by:

Char Head 🙂

Creations_by_Char