Memories Pending

As DH and I work towards reclaiming our home and merging our home with our hobbies (ie, materials we've kept at the shop that now have to find new spaces in our house), it's had unexpected positives. Yesterday he brought in and unpacked my childhood - boxes that had been in storage with my parents or other relatives until they shipped everything back to me. I've had those boxes in the breezeway, unpacked, for more than twenty years. DH brought them inside, unpacked them carefully, and now they are lined up on the floor of the den, waiting for me to go through it with him this weekend. 

Seeing my items in open boxes along the cabinets, I'm really looking
forward to remembering parts of my childhood I thought deeply
buries and sharing them with DH. 

This is early stuff - quite literally things from my childhood. Old stuffed animals I loved, kits and art supplies I used that I can still use, treasures from trips I took, memories. All memories. It's going to be a lot of fun to go through these on Sunday. He was sending me photos of bits and pieces while I unpacked and I'm really anxious to delve into my history. 

Looking through these items will kick-start some childhood
gears of thought that probably could use a good oiling. 

He's envious, in a way. He has very little, if anything, of his own early years. He was the third child of three, and there weren't a lot of things that survived into adulthood. Although his parents lived in the same house until they died, and it had a large attic for storage, his Dad cleaned things out periodically and boxes simply weren't kept. DH has some items that were in his room and that we retrieved when we cleared his parent's house out prior to selling it, but not a lot. 

I love this quite by Neil Gaiman.. I'm looking forward to
revisiting some great childhood memories. 

On the other hand, I had packed my boxes early - when we had been moving and I had to store boxes in the basement of my aunt's house. They stayed there for many years, then were shipped to me after her death and after my parents had moved to their condominium from their house. So the items in these boxes potentially hadn't seen the light of day since the late 1960's. It's a treasure trove of memory and stories. 

Not all memories are good, and not everyone had a childhood that
they would look forward to revisiting. I know that. I understand
that. I'm fortunate - I had a happy childhood. 

What about you? Do you have a few things that spark old memories for you? Have you moved things from one place to another just because you couldn't bear to give it up, even if you don't use it? Sometimes memories can hold on root-deep in objects, giving up their fierce grip reluctantly and sometimes only under necessity. Have a wonderful Wednesday. I'm going to be plenty busy today, so I'll return tomorrow.