Blue fur and a tuft of hair and lace

I have been looking at my house the past few days and trying to get motivated to actually throw out the massive amounts of junk that I have stored away for years. I went with a good friend to look at houses yesterday and saw clearly that it is time to begin to empty mine. The nice ones, with a place for everything, really do stand out. Now, I am not a candidate for the hoarder show, I just have lived in this place for a long time. I am also not particularly sentimental when it comes to most stuff. I can let things go. I don't save old birthday cards or movie tickets. But, I do have tooooo many clothes piled up that we will never ever wear again and old board games that most likely don't have all the right parts. I have tchotchkes that I have collected when I used to go to auctions all the time that make no sense to keep.

The problem is not that the job needs to be done it is the doing that is the problem. I get overwhelmed at the thought of starting such a big job. I get easily distracted by my books or a phone call or a game of Scrabble on Facebook. Well, this morning I got a start on it. The cabinet under the sink in the half bath is clean and organized!! I threw away products that will never ever be needed by me again, and old mascara tubes and toothbrushes. Old Velcro rollers are gone, so is the package of really old Qtips that were way in the back.

In my linen closet at the top is something that I will never ever ever get rid of. It is a musical Cookie Monster with slightly matted blue fur. It still plays "C is for Cookie", and when played sends memories flooding back of a wee towheaded boy who hugged it often as he drifted off to sleep. There is also his brother's small Ernie doll with the soft soft soft tuft of dark hair that he would "pet". They would wonder why I still have them.

My other never ever get rid of is my wedding veil. No woman wants to part with her wedding veil, but let me explain; it is Brussels lace, Cathedral length, stored in a blue Tiffany's box. It has been worn by four women in my family so far, my Grandmother in the 20's, my aunt Carole in the 60's, me in the 70's and my cousin Blythe in the 90's. We all wore it differently and it fit perfectly with our own unique styles. It is ready for whomever would like to wear it next, a niece or a cousin or perhaps, in many years, a granddaughter.

Some of my stuff is just stuff. Some of it is much much more than that.