'Life Savers'

Recently I read a blog from by a friend which speaks to the issue of saving things "in case someone needs it some day." It's been my mantra for many years. I'm a 'Life Saver' and I'll admit it.

I save bits of life, as it comes and goes. I am sentimental about things and find it difficult to get rid of some things that fall into the category of 'family history'. I suppose that could mean anything, couldn't it? But, being a family historian and searcher of ancestral stories etc, I find it interesting to add little things that work together to illustrate the story.

Ok. That's my newest excuse. I have, for years, kept things of importance to me. There are small boxes of baby clothes that my children wore. I've got the first pair of shoes each had, a few handmade items and one favorite outfit. For years I kept larger boxes of them, thinking my kids would want them some day. Of course, that was a pipe dream. What parent today wants to put Gap kids into funky old Oshkosh overalls or dumb looking plaid Healthtex pants that are at least 34 years old? What was I thinking? I've even saved a couple of things from two grandchildren who lived with us and rescued some handmade sweaters from a 'giveaway' box when their mother cleaned out.

I'm guilty of saving for life. Does it come from an upbringing of hearing my thrifty mother repeat a phrase that now graces my wall in the form of a sampler? "Use up, wear out, make do, do without?" If so, it seems that I've not adopted all of that word to the wise. I don't do without much. I'm a yard sale buff, though I do far less of that than I did when I lived in the land of the rich. Garage sales in this part of the country are priced much lower, but the goods available are no where near as good or as interesting to me as were those in my hometown. Still, I've plenty of opportunity to scour the thrift shops and antique places, and often come home with a 'gotta have' item.

My self-appointed analyst, my 3rd child, has determined that both my husband and I have compulsive obsessive traits. She says I'm some what of a compulsive shopper....with some validity, I'd say. She claims we're obsessive about keeping things....again, somewhat true. But, as I grow older, I become more and more willing to part with some of the stuff I've saved. There comes a time when even a hoarder must unload, or be subject to having one of her children call a tv show like "Get Organizeed" or "Hoarders". I have no interest in being on any tv show, thank you!