Boxed Memories

I have toted this box around for over 15 years. It was full of school papers from my oldest two daughters. I'm not sure why it has been a struggle for me to go through it, but it has. When I packed my house in Arizona I went through every box I had stored, in closets and in the garage. I reduces my stored crap down to a fraction of what I once had. This one was in the garage, it wasn't packed well and the box was showing signs of unrest. But I could not bring myself to go through it. When I arrived in Kentucky I unpacked some boxes and stored others. This one, I left in my dining room, under the table. And it waited. Then one of the pipes burst and flooded part of my home, including the dining room. My landlord picked the damp box up and put it on my table, where it has sat for four months. This weekend I concurred the box. Jessette told me to just burn it. But I couldn't. She said she doesn't want any of the old school stuff and I shouldn't either. She knows me well, she knew I would save some of the holdings. She said I was only to save the papers with dirty words on them. The box was filled with school work (mostly non-savables from the middle school years... No dirty words!). As I went through each paper I remembered when Jessette or Emmaly had worked on that project or learned that topic. I did save a few things, I think that is a moms right. I am glad to have emptied the box and cleared the spot in the dining room. I am grateful for my children and the memories I have of their childhood.

I love each one of them!