Making Room for Memories

“Abba and Ima”

I’m someone who abhors clutter and is good at organizing. That said, there are some things I’m unable to part with.

When my children were young, I wrote each of their names on a large manila envelope. Every report card, handmade Mother’s Day card, special note from a teacher, and school project they did went into that envelope. When they were teenagers, the kids enjoyed taking out the envelopes and laughing and reminiscing over some of the things I’d saved. It made for a fun activity on long Shabbos afternoons.

After I got engaged, my mother-in-law gave me an envelope with a few of my husband’s things that she’d saved from his youth. I smiled politely, but privately thought it was silly to hold onto a lock of hair or report card from third grade. I have no idea what happened to that envelope.

So why would I think my own children wanted their envelopes after they married and moved out? They didn’t. I put the envelopes in a box and stored it on the top shelf of my closet. It didn’t take up much room, wasn’t causing clutter; it wasn’t even thought about.