Good Housekeeping, August 1952 said..."Your possessions express your personality. Few things, including clothes, are more personal than your cherished ornaments. The pioneer women, who crossed a wild continent clutching their treasures to them, knew that a clock, a picture, a pair of candlesticks, mean home, even in the wilderness."
When I read this I thought about when we made the move here to Wyoming. The move was difficult in one way in that I had lived in the same home for nearly 30 years. I had moved there as a newlywed, brought a new baby into the home and raised him there, I had assembled furniture and pictures and possessions that fit into each and every room. After the divorce, I did have to make other changes inside and outside the house for maintenance and structural prevention as I was starting a new phase of my life. For nearly 30 years, I had accumulated many, many items nevertheless and many had some type of story as to its possession.
More changes came when Corey decided it was time to leave his home and then Joe came along, we married and his things started coming in. At one time, the living room was made virtually impassable because of the moving in and moving out occurring about the same time.
Then came the big move. Because we were forced to make the move from Georgia to Wyoming so quickly, I didn't have the opportunity to carefully and selectively decide what I really wanted to keep and what I really needed to give away. Because of the time factor, so many things just left and there was no chance to really savor decisions. Furniture was given away, antiques were passed on, cherished mementos were entrusted to others, while some things were made presents and gifts. Some items are being stored without the assurance that I will ever be able to have them back in my possession. Helpful people came on a daily basis and just went to packing and I found I'd lost control. This was made abundantly clear when items such as old pillows and trash were opened during the unpacking stage.
I find myself on occasion wondering whatever happened to...the jewelry box I got for my 12th birthday while living in Japan? Whatever happened to the picture taken of Corey helping out during a presidential stopover? Whatever happened to my collection of rocking horse Christmas ornaments? Whatever happened to the slides of Les' family members? Whatever happened to so many other things? I know they are only things and if my home had been hit by a tornado like the recent ones in the news, I could have lost it all and had no control about what would happen to my possessions.
I know that my possessions do not define me as a person, that it's my personality, it's my wits, it's how I view life on a daily basis. It's my spirit of adventure, it's my present home and my family and the relationship I have with my sweet husband. So, yes, I do understand to an extent how the pioneer women felt when they clutched something that reminded them of home. And, yes, I will admit that the simplifying of my life with less things has been rather exhilarating at times.
