Reflection #19 Letting Go
The Gap Year
Reflection # 19 Letting Go
“Love makes labor light.” –Teresa of Avila
It’s been over fifteen years, yet my family still tells the story of the Mayflower moving van that burnt on our move from Orlando to Seattle. Our household. Puff, gone! Gone were my sons’ first-grade drawings, pieces of original art, and photos of grandparents. Gone. Oriental carpets, pots, pans, and dishes were gone. Some could be replaced, others never. In the coming months, we created a whole new life as we purchased a bowl and silverware, a kettle, and a spoon rest. Items we’d never given much thought to but had simply accumulated over the years. This disruptive moment marked a passageway in our lives.
Two years ago our household drastically changed again. This time we sold our four-bedroom home to downsize into our present compact ground-level condo. It took two years to clear out the stuff in the attic and whatnots in the basement, as well as beds, dressers, chairs, and tables.
What to part with and what to keep. There were the items that, although we’d held them for years, we were able to be let go easily. We packed many boxes and gave some to Goodwill without a second thought. But, once in a while we’d find a sentimental object, and we’d see ourselves clutching it a bit tightly, unable to quite place it in the discard or giveaway pile.
Through both ordeals, learning to let go is not easy. It’s taken courage. I am only able to let go if I am gentle with myself. Letting go according to the pace of the memories that come to me; the loved ones remembered, the sorrows that have yet to be released.
This courage has begun to release me to have greater peace. I reflect on what I’ve lived through, and I’m still here. Surely, I have the strength to travel the next stretch – and the next one—and the one after that. Each day I remind myself that I am now taking the time to heal. Thank goodness. I have the opportunity to live in retirement --healing.
What do we hold onto and what do we let go? We’re still working on it.
Now it’s your turn
Take time to reflect and if in a group, share as you feel able.
When deciding what to hold onto and what to let go, I find that:
a) it’s not easy for me.
b) I’m reluctant to discard items or give things away.
c) I hold onto things that bring memories to mind.
d) sentimental object are the hardest to release.