It’s wonderful to clean out possessions piled throughout the house. Tchotchke collections, incomplete china sets, discarded toys, forgotten chairs, clothing for another climate, artwork better suited to other walls, too many mugs and candles, games not played in twenty years, purses I’ll never carry again, unopened gifts, things I had to have but never used. Everything given away.
The house now filled with empty space, I hear their memories whisper stories to me. Remember when. And so I do.
Just a Thought 20
Image of torn paper collection courtesy Pixabay.com
Sharon Bonin-Pratt's Ink Flare 
Comments on: "Whisper Me Full" (28)
Beautiful, Shari…there is something satisfying in sorting out a house, removing items long since used. When disturbed they definitely seem to leave a whispering, when touching them I hear their stories and memories are stirred. Emotional journey …
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Thank you, Annika. The voice of experience here. We spent almost two months thoroughly sorting and clearing out the house and are so pleased not to be drowning in clutter.
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Wonderful post and how true it rings. It is wonderful to get rid of clutter and things you really haven’t missed or noticed for so very long.
My hardest bit are gifts from people I love. Each time I touch wake beautiful memories.
So I have started with clothes, old games (like you), mugs, plates etc…..oh, some furniture will go.
Are we getting there? 😊🦋
miriam
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Your last line really made me smile, Miriam. I kept asking my husband the same thing for the whole two months. It seemed the more we cleared out, the more junk we exposed. But finally, we got there. Thank you for reading.
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A beautiful post. I’m letting go of things too. It’s very freeing.
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It certainly is. Thanks for reading, Peggy.
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We downsized a little over a year ago and decluttered in a big way. It was difficult to part with some things but also very freeing. Now, the trick is to not reaccumulate things!
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Boy, Carrie, is that ever true. Resisting buying stuff isn’t so hard, but what to do when friends give me stuff – that’s a dilemma!
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I sometimes go in the opposite direction and give too much of myself and my things away.
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I can see that happening, but we really had way too much. When I was an art teacher, I told parents that if they couldn’t save every single art masterpiece from their kids, take photos. You should have seen their faces when they realized how easy it was to “save” without saving.
You do have to be careful about giving too much of yourself – that’s different from giving away “stuff.”
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I know. 🙂 I hate clutter but sometimes I go overboard! Have a great week, Shari.
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You too, Adrienne.
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Wait–I can’t mix and match china?
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Ha ha ha. Come to my house – we’ll have coffee and you’ll have a hard time finding cups and saucers that match. I just got rid of the pieces that were hard to stack.
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So true! When we last moved, we got rid of so much stuff we never used, and even if we had needed it, wouldn’t have remembered where to find it. Now, it’s much easier without all the clutter. Enjoy your new-found space!
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You are so right, Jenna – Where did we put that? a frequent question and if answered with, Don’t know, don’t really care, it was definitely going out – once we found it!
My house looks bigger.
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I’m a hoarder. I find it hard but am in the process once again. I thought I had got rid of everything in the move but nowhere near enough. We start again. I take heart that you still have the memories despite the empty space. I must continue. Roger has a theory with art work that eventually you use it up. When it is used up for you it needs to go to a new home so it can live again.
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Roger has a wonderful attitude – giving something a new home so it can live again. Please tell him I think this is brilliant.
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I’ve passed your message on.
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Thank you.
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A good clear out is a balm for the soul
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It certainly is!
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We went through this process four years ago when we downsized to a smaller place. Getting rid of so much stuff is such a relief, a lightening of the load we carry. Still have more to do….hardest are the things that we’re sentimentally attached to! (I found it easier to take pictures of some things before giving them away.) Enjoy your extra space, Sharon! 🙂
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Photos are a good idea and with digital photos, so easy to store. Our house looks bigger.
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It’s nice, isn’t it! 🙂
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‘Tis! Very.
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I should clean out all the gunk in my house. My husband is kind of a hoarder but every once in a great while he’ll clean up a corner of his junk. I’m going to have to do it little by little, making sure I’m not doing away with one of his prized possessions.
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Funny, isn’t it, that no matter how difficult it is to motivate ourselves to clean out our junk, our inspiration has little influence on others.
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