. And what I really mean by that is I am having a yard sale tomorrow and have dragged my entire family along for the ride. It seems to have been my Lenten discipline this year to clear out all the excess baggage from our house and my life and sell it for 1/4 of its original price. Theologically speaking I should really just give the excess away. But we are saving up for our Wild Goose Festival trip this summer and could use the extra cash to fund the trip without incurring any debt. Maybe God will understand. For weeks a desire for simplicity and lack of clutter have driven me, wildly at times, to go through every nook and cranny of our house and separate the wheat from the chaff. How many water bottles do we really need after all? And all the toys my children have outgrown that are just taking up space and emotional energy? Time to let go of the little kids years and embrace what is next. (Do NOT bring up Toy Story to me. Just. Do. Not. I have cleared out all the old toys including the last of the Buzz Lightyears without crying and I don’t plan to start now). So I have relentlessly purged closets, drawers, under beds, in the attic and through the garage. At some point my husband joked to the kids to keep me from sticking one of my colorful price stickers on him. I assured him if I did happen to get carried away he would go for the highest price 😉 But going through years worth of stuff has brought with it an unexpected surprise. Along with the mountain of stuff I found I could part with, I have unearthed a few treasures that were long forgotten. Items that once I saw again I realize I love now as much or more than when I first got them. Like last night when I was cleaning up our old stereo and found my old Edie Brickell tape still inside. I couldn’t believe that I had almost inadvertently given away Edie Brickell! Now truthfully if I wanted to hear this folk genius sing, all I have to do is click on iTunes or cue her up on Pandora. But it would not be the same. For this tape has a story. In my first year of high school an older boy I was friends with was listening to Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars during break. He casually asked me if I had heard Edie’s music and I casually replied “No.” I left out how most of my music consisted of The Bangels and Tiffany tapes I listened to all during Junior High. He tossed me the tape and told me to give it a listen. I think he probably had a crush on me which I was too shy to notice. (I mean come on he gave me his Edie Brickell). I never dated the punk boy, but I fell in love with Edie’s haunting melodies and alternative music in general. I would sit at night with my walkman tape player and listen to “What I Am” over and over plunging the depth of the lyrics and sounds. “What I am is what I am you what you are or what.” It was a musical epiphany to a 15 year old shy, insecure girl who was too nice for her own good. So yeah, I’m keeping the Edie Brickell tape.

Because some things are just worth holding onto.

I’ve even decided to keep the old Walkman I wore the tape out on even though I had originally priced it for sale. It has way too much Guardians of the Galaxy charm. Even if the battery cover is missing. Besides, if I got rid of it, how would I listen to all the old mixed tapes people gave me?  

It is funny how cleaning out the clutter allows us to see the real treasures anew.

What are the things you need to let go of? And what are the things that are worth holding on to? Care to share below? Or link the pictures of your treasures up with my old treasures on Instagram? Find me at https://instagram.com/hobbsdena/]]>