It just goes to show what a little TLC can do!
I've made minimalism a way of life for a while already. Part of the life lessons taught by my Mom Lily.
She'd ask to help me clear out; and if I hesitated when she asked if I wanted something, she said it was time to get rid of it and bag it for the bin-diggers, or give away to someone else who needs it.
Doing it again now with my move to a smaller home has been such a freeing experience! Truly feels like the weight on my shoulders become lighter each time. I've had to be quite harsh with myself at times, but only some of the nostalgic stuff has been discarded. When I say some, I mean very few. Those memories are way too special; photos, birthday cards, Christmas cards from a loved one far away with beautiful handwritten messages inside. I even found a very big card amongst all the mementos -
Happy Valentine to my Girlfriend.
That one was almost fifty-two years ago!
Amongst all my belongings was an old brass book stand that has been grossly neglected - because it stands on the floor in between couches. I actually looked at it and wondered if it really was brass peeking out here and there under all the black dirt.
This is the before photo, really looking shoddy, but I knew she was beautiful
Having gotten rid of the things I rarely use, has made packing for my move so much easier!
I've lived here for over 50 years already, and had kept many many happy memories; in boxes, and albums, even some on walls as well. Mom Lily made collages using some of the photos, and I will scan all of those on a rainy day once I'm settled.
Some stuff were hard to part with, but I managed to sift through again and discard some more.
Likely, once I get to my new home, I will be doing it again when I've finally decided what to do with the most precious memories.
This book rack from yesteryear reminded me just how much we're missing out on in this new world. Very few people read 'real books', and by that I mean hard copies. I still prefer turning the pages and feel the paper between my fingers. My Kindle has its place, but...
Back to my book rack, I knew Mom's Brass & Silver cleaning recipe would do the trick. I did not realize just what a good job it was going to do. I did use steel wool in the end, which did the final trick! Much of the black build-up simply fell away when soaked in this mixture.
I, of course, doubled up for this. Pour the liquid into a large bowl and soak. Remove the stubborn dirt with steel wool; a lot of elbow grease was needed here! But it was so worth it!
Something old is still full of beauty, and we need to dig a little deeper and look for ways to transform the beast into a beauty!
My book collection has shrunk to the most precious, and this little book stand will suffice for my large books.
My cache of worldly possessions have shrunken to the bare necessities.
Friends ask me how I can let go of stuff so readily; very easy, material possessions can always be replaced, if needed, but the feeling of letting go has been kind of cathartic. No need for earthly baggage.
The 'things' that are most precious, however, our loved ones, are irreplaceable!
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