Yesterday I picked up a couple of boxes from the storage locker I’ve got full of stuff left behind by my parents and my sister, who were all pack rats, or my own old correspondence, financial records, newspaper clippings, photos, or other memorabilia that long ago overflowed available storage space at home.

The simple passage of time and lightening of emotional burden makes it easier to identify what can be thrown away, what can be scanned and thrown away, what can find a home elsewhere because of its historical interest, and what I’m stuck with for a while more.

To be honest, though, even after as much as a decade, I find this hard work.

My goal is to get down to a manageable number of boxes to keep long term. I used to think this was an impossibility, but it’s been a decade since my dad died, nearly seven years since my mom’s passing, and three since Bonnie died, and its easier go through the sorting process.

So I proceed, sorting into piles, with a shredder on the floor beside me, and laptop with scanner on the counter to my right.

I can always count on finding something that triggers a flash back, or a moment of remembering. I made an initial push Monday afternoon, and will try to finish these two boxes today.

Maybe I’ll have some gems to share.