Decisions! Decisions!

For those who follow me on Facebook, you know that the buyers reached out through the realtors to see if we could move the closing up 15 days to June 15th. Our carefully orchestrated schedule does not have us moved out until June 24th...in fact we have not yet had a moving company provide an estimate or a date! But whether we close on the original June 30th date or it moves up a week, we put some serious time in this weekend packing boxes. The photo below shows just a portion, approximately 44 out of more than 50 packed thus far.

Although this is our third move, it's the first time I've really had to do much packing. On each of the previous two moves, my dear mother-in-law spent most of her two-week visits packing our household goods. This time, as I packed and made go/no-go decisions, I paused over all her lovely treasures bequeathed to us. She came from an era and a social class where fine china, crystal, silver and linens were de rigour for afternoon tea, card parties, cocktail hours and elaborate dinners. And, while I appreciate the beauty of these items, I struggle with the decision to keep most of it. I have always been intrigued by this antique silver sardine chest!

Bill is more sentimental about the tools, some of which he's had for 40 years, that he's decided to sell. I can understand that completely! He's put a lot of skill and sweat into many home projects in each of our three homes. We've remodeled more rooms than I can remember, stripping them down to floorboards and drywall. The Craftsman radial arm saw, in particular, was a difficult one to part with but we were glad that one of my co-workers wanted to buy it.

One of the items that is posing a real dilemma is a 100-year-old-plus chest/secretary that belonged to Bill's grandmother. He remembers his grandmother, who lived with Bill's family in Hinsdale, Illinois, spending each evening seated at the fold-out desktop, writing letters or "keeping" her books. While it's very old, it doesn't appear to be a "name" antique. We've looked in vain for a manufacturer or craftsman's name or a date. When my mother-in-law shipped it to us from Phoenix nearly 15 years ago, it cost over $400 in freight.

One thing that I've discovered the past week while packing is not to do it when I'm tired. I find that I either keep more "stuff" than I should or I rashly decide to put it aside for sale. But it is just stuff after all, and I won't be able to take it me in the eternal long run! As the wise doctor Luke wrote of Jesus speaking to his followers: "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."