Cleaning Out and Recalling Memories

My mom and I have begun the process of cleaning out my maternal grandparents' house. As we are learning with others who lived through the Depression, Granny saved everything.  She wasn't like those folks you see on Hoarders, but she kept things that most today would trash, recycle, or shred.  Toward the end, Granny fell into this habit more than ever.  She had to keep every newspaper clipping that mentioned anything that her kids, grand-kids, or great grand-kids might have participated in at one time--Scouts, sports, school.  No matter if this clipping had to do with the actual thing the kids were in, if it just mentioned the overall sport or organization, she kept it. She also kept every letter/envelope she got from any organization or business with which she did business.  Every bank, AARP, Medicare, etc., letter, envelope, and more.  Yes, there are some of those documents you keep, but some are just information or mailers.  She kept the envelopes and dated them as to when she received them. If these companies wanted a history of their mail, we could produce it for them.

Once time, many, many years ago, their taxes were audited.  From that time forth, she kept every paid check, letter involving anything pertaining to their business or a bank, and more. Because there is so much paper and documentation, we decided to start there.  We are removing anything with account numbers, bank business, etc. We had to sort the paperwork into the keep, shred, and recycle piles. 

When you have documents like this, you can learn things you didn't know.  I thought my grandfather always worked for the same concrete construction company.  I didn't know he worked anywhere else.  Well, I found that he worked for a different concrete construction company before working for the one he was with for decades.

I knew my grandparents helped others when needed--loaning money, helping pay for funerals, etc.  That is the kind of people there were.  The kind of person I like to think I have become. If you needed anything, they would help.  Well, looking through the papers, I saw that they helped someone filing for bankruptcy, sold people their own family cemetery plots, and more.

Granny kept a napkin from every important event she attended.  We found napkins from 4 family weddings.  I'm sure there will be more as we go.  One was my great aunt and uncle's, one was my parents', and two were cousins'.

We bagged Granny's clothes to donate.  She said she had already gone through my grandfather's things when he passed away in 1995, but she didn't.  We knew she didn't, but we didn't argue.  We are donating his things too.  Looking at their clothes, some from the 60s and 70s, it reminded me of that hit song, Thrift Shop by Macklemore.  Some folks will be in heaven when their clothes make it to their next destination.

Four things kind of hit me yesterday.
1.  We found a box in a closet with my name on it for Christmas.  It was filled with ornaments.  She had bought an ornament a year throughout my childhood and put them all in a box.  She dated each one. She would have given me the box at my wedding shower, like she did my brother and cousins.  Now, I will just store it until I get married or decide to use them to decorate my own tree. I will not have that moment when Granny presents the box to me.

2. We found another box of crafts and crocheting I had done one summer when staying with them.  I can pick-up the crafts and finish them.  No problem.  However, I have no idea how to crochet.  The needles and yarn are just as I left them. I will not have Granny here to show me how to do it again.

3. We found another box with my name on it along with "Quilt."  Granny had made a Sunbonnet Sue quilt top several years ago. Each block had Sunbonnet Sue doing a different activity.  She didn't know how or couldn't finish it by quilting it, so I brought the box home.  Now I will try to find someone to finish my quilt. She won't be here to see it finished.

4. We found two baby blankets and a sweater that matched one of the blankets that Granny knitted or crocheted. I realized, if I have children, Granny won't be there to give me these items or to spoil the baby as only she could.

I'm sure there will be more moments like these, and that is to be expected.

Here are my questions for all of you . . .
Have you had to clean out a loved one's house?  What did you do with all the "stuff"?