Today I feel like wearing black crepe from head to toe as I “cremated” my “paper family.” Younger daughter came to help me gut the joint then huffed and puffed about why her father needed 16 paints of trousers, some as old as tea, but he wouldn’t let her put them on the yard sale pile! However, there was no sentimentality at all when she plopped two big plastic tubs at my feet with a no nonsense look about her that I needed to start gleaning some of my family bits and dabs. It ‘killed”me to get rid of my comfort zone items, some dated from the 1960s. Chucked out were beautiful Christmas cards and greetings cards that I didn’t have the heart to dispose of in years past, but it was much easier to do than go through myriad letters from friends and relatives. How difficult it was to throw letters of many years ago when relatives and friends had little children and to realise now that they are adults, and married, neber mind other passages of time with illnesses and deaths. In all the piles of “dedritus,” I found only a couple of family genealogy gems, and then a letter from a relative which had me screaming in laughter, with tears running down my cheeks, remembering our son about 10 or so wakening our guests up by blowing on his bugle too early in the morning! He likely got a good talking to, but looking back on it now I laughed till the tears ran. My Glasgow aunt, up in her years, had written about her father’s layabout brother, so as all the players are dead, I can add that anecdote to the journal. I then found a letter from my father’s Paisley/Glasgow cousin once removed who filled me in on his tree, and confirmed that his cousin once removed in Castle Douglas had been a butcher at one time. His grandfather, a blacksmith, apparently had had the biggest funeral Castle Douglas had ever seen. There were a few other little gems to add to the family tree, but after I re-read everything, I had to make the very hard decision to consign them to the heap to be disposed of...paper recycling. I have other big tubs to go through, then more closets and boxes. The realisation finally hit me that my children have no idea who most of the people are, so it would be left to them to dispose of everything upon my departure...the only thing my younger one wanted is the nice comfortable couch in the “pit.” What a nerve! She’ll just have to wait! Moral of the story...if you have encumbered yourself with all this “stuff,” be tough with yourself and find another comfort zone...dispose of it before it begins to take over the house! Maisie

Hello Maisie, I know exactly how you are feeling. One part of me is sorry, the other is admiration in that you have been able to dispose of items surplus to requirements. I should do the same but haven't been able to do so yet! Best Wishes, John in New Zealand