Where did all this stuff come from? Some of the things I am sorting through I haven’t looked at since we moved them from Ohio. 10 years of sitting in a box collecting dust. Why?
I would guess that most homeschoolers are pack-rats to some degree. And homeschooling for 25 years, I have accumulated plenty of “valuable educational resources.” Well, with only one student left, and him in the 11th grade, how much of this stuff is really necessary? Oh, and how much of his learning is done online, requiring no “stuff” at all? hmmm.
So I have purged out all the stuff we really won’t need from here on out. Only problem is, Andrew and Christine are homeschooling the grandkids. Surely they could use some of this stuff, right? So in the box it goes. I don’t need it but I’m moving it anyway! I wonder if the truck will be big enough?
And have I mentioned that Josh and Maggie are also moving to Florida? Their stuff will be on the truck too. Perhaps I need to be more careful about what I am packing.
I did find out something useful. I will admit that when it comes to books, I have a hard time parting with them. I know, I have a Kindle. I shouldn’t need so many books. But they might be useful and why re-buy them for my Kindle when I already have them? So I sort. This pile to take. That pile to donate. That pile to throw away because the book is just plain worn out. What I’ve learned is that if I do this sorting and leave the piles alone for a couple of days, when I go back to start actually packing the books I’ve decided to take, I find myself weeding out many more. After I’ve had time to think about it, I realize that I really don’t need all of them after all. Perhaps I need to apply this technique to everything I decide to take! Only problem is that I didn’t figure it out until after I had packed…several…boxes. Oh, well. Nothing I can do about that now.
But seriously, this process has made me stop and think about all the stuff I have. Some of it is family heirlooms that I want to pass down to my children and grandchildren. Some of it is stuff that I will probably never use but can’t bring myself to just throw away. I am finding it much easier to make the decision to get rid of something if I know that someone else will get some use out of it.
So I keep sorting, keep giving away and slowly my house is beginning to look empty. Well, except for the mountain of boxes. The hardest part is trying to figure out what things I will need while we’re at Andrews and what should be put into storage. Since we will be with Andrew for an indefinite length of time it’s hard to plan. And it seems ridiculous to keep packing stuff that I KNOW will just be put in storage. Why can’t I just get rid of everything and start over?
The one good thing about the fact that I have begun packing is that I don’t really have to clean my house. Mostly because I can’t FIND it!
The other significant thing that is happening is that as I sort and purge, I feel a sense of freedom. I am unburdening myself a little more every day. And I find it happening in my spirit as well. As I let go of things that are holding me back, I am free to move forward into what God has next. And I am excited to see what He has in store.