The Act of “Letting Go”

One of my Facebook friends started a group called: The Month of 100 Things 2014. The stated goal is for each group member to purge their household of 100 unnecessary items and clutter by the end of the month. I already began the journey of downsizing this summer, but I joined the group for support and encouragement so I would continue down this path.

So far, I’ve cleaned my office and identified old books that I no longer use. I’ll donate some to our church library, a local thrift shop, and I plan to sell a couple of them online. I’ve gone through old craft supplies that we used when my daughters were younger. A container of stampers, stamp pads, and other assorted items will be donated to a homeless ministry. Now I’m working on old writing files that I have in my basement. Some have been published and some haven’t. So far I have a plastic crate filled with old drafts to be dumped in the recycling bin at our home congregation.

Going through things also offers an opportunity for me to look back and celebrate the past with gratitude.  When I went through my craft supplies, I was thankful for the times spent with my daughters, now 23 and 26. There was great joy in making things together or in helping with a project they were working on.

Looking through my writing files, I discovered long forgotten essays about parenting that I wrote as my girls were growing. While I don’t need the multiple drafts, I am keeping a file of those that weren’t published so I can re-read them and celebrate the memories of their youth.

What can you let go of as you enter 2014? What can you celebrate as you engage in the act of letting go?