A Trip Down Memory Lane

I have decided it is time to clean out, reorganize, and throw out a bunch of "stuff."  We are hopefully moving in the next few months so that we can live closer to Ardmore where Brad works.  Right now he drives a little over an hour, one way, to work everyday.  I could NOT do that, I get bored in the car after 20 minutes! But Brad is amazing and he enjoys the drive.  Through Michelin we are using a relocation company to put our house on the market and move.  This is a very slow process for which I am very thankful, it is giving me time to get my house ready to sale.  Closets have been straightened up and organized, kitchen cabinets are all clean, and my countertops are cleared of clutter.  

When Brad and I brought the Christmas decorations out of the attic, I also brought out several boxes of "keepsakes" that I have had since I was a little girl.  I thought it would be fun to go through them and also to clean them out and try to minimize the amount of boxes.  This week I went through three boxes of cards, letters, and notes that span from birth to about 21 years old.  I had a blast reading through them all; smiling at the sentimental ones, laughing at the funny ones, crying at the sad ones, and recalling inside jokes.  There is nothing like a blast from the past to make you feel young and old at the same time.  I loved reading them all; it made me feel like I was reliving some old events in my life and at the same time I felt so much older and so far removed from that time in my life.  The best notes were the ones from junior high and high school; letters from old boyfriends, letters fighting with friends, and then making up with the same friends, letters covered in inside jokes, letters with words of encouragement.  

Lately, I have been struggling with some not so happy memories from my childhood and high school days so this was a great refresher and reminder of the happy moments in my life.  It's so much easier and more convenient to focus on the negative parts of life but for me personally the good really does outweigh the bad.  I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for the amazing friendships God has given to me.  Although my friends and relationships have changed over the years, there are people who's names automatically bring a smile to my face or cause me to think of a special memory shared between the two of us.  There are relationships in my life that are unexpected and new that I cherish just as much as the lifelong friendships.  I miss so many friends that I have lost along the way but I know that in that season, they were exactly the person I needed as my friend and now as we have grown up and changed that relationship had to become something different.   

So I guess I am just reminded to enjoy life, look back on those happy moments and cherish them, try to think on the positive memories instead of the negative, and be thankful for the path God has me on and the friendships He's given me along the way.  

(Oh, and by the way, I narrowed it all down from three boxes to one!)