We have chosen to use our time recently to declutter our house, starting with the attic. As I looked at the old photos, I felt the breeze as I pedaled my bike with the white, wicker basket on the front ,smelled the chicken fried steak my mom cooked on the stove, and the sound of the fire truck sirens as we threw candy to the children on the parade route. (I talk about how fire engine sirens are happy memories for me in this post.) As I continue to ponder time and how to use it, a story came to my mind. A year and a half ago, I wrote about helping an older man in our congregation move. You can read the post here. I realized when the time comes for us to leave this house, we should not only consider what furniture to move, but what memories as well. Here are a few suggestions if you are pondering doing the same.
1. Declutter the memories.
First, we had to whittle down the possessions and memories to a reasonable amount. As we went through the boxes in the attic, I began looking at them through my children’s eyes. Would they want to keep this? Why? We donated carloads to Goodwill and recycled tons of college notes and school programs. I still probably kept too much. Lord willing, we will probably do this again in another decade, and I will pare them down even more.
2. Display your memories.
Once you have chosen which memorabilia to keep, consider displaying them. I had tiny striped mugs tucked away in a cabinet. When I visited my grandparents, they poured me my own coffee in these little mugs, which contained more milk and sugar than actual coffee. The tiny mugs are now on display in a coffee bar in the guest room. Instead of banishing our grandmothers’ quilts to the top shelf of the closet, we rotate them in a seasonal display in the living room.
3. Record your memories.
If the memories were valuable enough to keep, then you need to record why. I am forever grateful to my dad for writing names and dates on the back of photos, particularly the black and white ones. Though I heard stories about some of these relatives, I could not put names with faces.
Now a framed story accompanies my tiny mugs. We pin names, occasions, and memories if we have them, to the back of Afghans and quilts. We are beginning to video our remaining parent sharing some of her favorite stories. We will also begin recording our own stories. This website has an some other good ideas for ways to record your memories.
4. Share your faith memories
Do your children know important milestones of your faith? Your salvation story? The times you struggled in your faith? Have you described when God miraculously answered your prayers? Do they know them well enough to tell their own children? Again, consider how you want these stories to be preserved: in a journal, video recording, a scrapbook, etc.
We need to do this in our church families as well. So many older members, like the man I described in the blog I linked in the first paragraph, have memories the entire church body needs to hear. We need to set aside time to record their stories of faith or share them in person with the youth or Sunday school classes.
Final Thoughts
Someday, probably sooner than I realize, my own children will be sorting through my belongings: this pile of framed artwork and furniture to Goodwill, this furniture to save for their own children’s first apartment. And hopefully, they will be moving a few of my memories with them.
I only write these spiritual posts on the first and third Saturdays. On the second and fourth, I send out a newsletter through Substack. I expound in more depth on a theme, sharing some interesting quotes and a playlist of songs. I also share other news about Traveling with the Father. For instance, I will be starting a devotion podcast soon. Subscribe below if you would like to hear more.