A Bittersweet Book

A couple months ago I stumbled upon a used book sale. My son and I had a great time picking out a huge pile of children’s books to take home. Some of these books turned into instant favorites while others were put away until my son is a little older. One book was especially bittersweet. It was a Thomas the Tank Engine book that was originally given to a child as his preschool graduation gift. The child’s teachers wrote congratulations and wished him luck as he moved on to kindergarten.

My first thought was that I needed to locate this preschool and get an application. Those teachers’ comments were warm, caring, and personal! Sounds like a school that we should check out for our son. My next thought was whether this book was donated in error. How could anyone donate a book with such sentimental value?

Then I looked around the room and I got my answer – it’s impossible to hold on to every last sentimental item. My son isn’t even two yet and we are trying to figure out where his cards, drawings and handprints should all go. I’m sure I’ll soon have to start narrowing down these sentimental items. Some things will need to be tossed or donated.

How do you deal with the accumulation of sentimental “stuff”? Be it photos, cards, or hand prints. Do you take a mental snapshot before donating it? put treasured items in a box? or live in the moment?