There is a certain value in shedding,  getting rid of stuff, emptying drawers, taking old books that will never be read and giving them to someone who will read them. We may do it in sync with the seasons and call it “spring cleaning” or “readying for the winter.”

When I do this a lightness enters me, and the clean out not only clears my mind it cleans the room, the garage, the entire house. 

There’s a certain value in taking stock, preserving, keeping, assessing what things we really value and keeping them close. These things can be very simple with no monetary value at all. 

I confess, there’s something to do with Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story in every room in our house. 

It’s subtle, but it’s there. 

Toy Story was so integral to the early years of my boys’ experiences that I cannot let the reminders go. 

And so, I don’t.

I hold onto the themes, lines and music. Doing so helps me make sense of time.

The photograph of mom and dad minding the tearoom in Blackburn Road does the same, as does the picture of my dad and me near the Little Top. 

A little shedding and preserving is good for the soul.