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September 2014: Downsizing, Departures, And Sleeping With Barbie

Some things are hard to leave behind and some are easy

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Before we left, we set out to get our house "rent ready."  The toughest task was downsizing enough to fit all our things into storage space in one basement storage room and the garage. 

I worked at this, and I struggled with this.  Our books are largely gone.  Most of the toys, school papers, artwork, certificates, mementos, and souvenirs went in the recycling, garbage, or to Goodwill.

No one would say they are the sum of their material possessions, yet things can be tough to get rid of.  I often felt I was throwing away my past and disposing of my dreams.  Among the hardest things to part with were things that reminded me of wonderful experiences and people.  Then, there were the things that made me think of the person I hoped to be and now never shall be.  But the hardest things to toss were the things that linked us to the people Monica and I once actually were but can never be again -- newly married, parents of young children, etc.

Downsizing took some callousness, but also some courage and a lot of faith.  Being callous hurt -- I felt disrespectful to friends and to myself.  And parting with one's past means that one has only the future to hold on to -- and no one can do that -- the only thing that one can grasp are or hopes and dreams for the future.  And we're old enough to know that not every dream or hope comes true -- this is where the courage and faith come in.

That's why, whenever I tossed something valuable, I felt pain but I also felt I was declaring my faith that our future will be good.
© Hughes Family 2012