Cleaning out

My sisters are on a simplify kick.  I was motivated by one of my sister's recent blog posts to take a peek in my hope chest.  My dad made all us girls a hope chest.  We keep treasures, past and present in them.  Melody's had lots of items that ended up being trashed.  Mine, has a ton of memories inside.  Here is a peek.

First up was my scrapbook/notebook from highschool.  It had handwritten essays and letters. The dried flowers were from my PaPa's grave site.  He died 1 month after I turned 16.  My Brownie troop sash was in there.  I didn't like Brownies and Girl Scouts too much.  I went to Girl Scout camp in Granbury Texas for a few days.  I cried with my face covered by a wash cloth each night.  I plotted ways to cross the river and escape!  Weenie.  Funny to think that it doesn't phase me one bit to fly around the world by myself now.

Remember dot matrix printers?  I'd saved a banner we made in computer class.

The tear-jerker was this Bible and letter.  When Mike and I were in youth ministry, we had a young man who was significantly delayed and had an articulation disorder.  Without divulging any of his personal life, I'll just say his homelife was not a healthy environment.  This young man adored Mike!  Mike taught him to use deoderant, to shave, and gave him love and acceptance.  I'd totally forgotten, but when Carter was born, the young man(he was 18 at the time) gave Carter his own Bible as a gift.  It had a written note tucked in the pocket.  The note told Carter that he was such a lucky boy to have great parents like Mike and Libby.  I couldn't read it aloud...the lump formed and the tears flowed.  What a precious treasure.

Here are stacks of cards.  Some are from Mike's grandfather and are a testimony to his great faith.  Some are sweet sympathy cards from friends who sent them when tragedy struck Mike's family many years ago.  One was a letter Mike wrote me the morning of our wedding.  Sooo precious!

   My parents mailed me the next picture of my youngest sister Katy learning to ride a bicycle while I was away at college.  I missed it!  That was it, I was moving home.  Oh, notice Melody's overalls with only one side clipped--classy 1991!  Also notice the work van.  Our family took trips in dad's work van.  He'd load up foam seats and blankets, no seat-belts or real seats to speak of.  We rolled around the back and had a blast.  In fact, on a trip to Washington DC one time, we all slept in the back of that van in a Denny's parking lot!  Memories!

I did end up trashing a pile of stupid stuff like old mylar balloons and newspapers.