Sentimentality Comes with a Price

One day at work a student asked my assistant what she did with her Christmas cards when the Holiday was over. "I throw them away", she answered nonchalantly. The thought of throwing away Christmas cards was so foreign to me that her response left me speechless. I just stared at her dumbfoundedly for a moment trying to wrap my brain around it.How can she throw away a greeting card from someone she only hears from once a year?It seemed so disrespectful."I keep mine." I said. "Oh, that's so nice that you have the space. I simply have no room." My assistant pleasantly responded (out loud). I imagine she was thinking something else.Not only do I keep every Christmas card but I keep every ticket stub, receipt, or worthless scrap of paper that is associated with a meaningful event. I like to stumble upon them and think about the experience.My name is Kendrick Dyer and I am overly sentimental.The price I pay(besides developing unhealthy attachments)? Clutter.The good news is that I hate clutter. If I didn't, I would EASILY become one of these hoarders like I saw on Oprah recently. Being able to throw things away or give them to Goodwill is a constant battle for me. But I manage to keep useless items to a minimum. Recently, however, I've discovered that the battle is going to continue to get worse. The clutter monster has begun to reproduce with Sophia's artwork from Sunday School.
Several of these pieces are made from Sophia's handprints.

I think the point of using your child's hand for a project is to be able to see how she's grown. So why would I throw them away? Documenting my child's growth is important, right? O.K., I'll keep the handprints.But the handprints are just a drop in the bucket. She has several other adorable projects and assignments that I don't have the heart to get rid of. Yesterday she got her first report card. It was from her swim class. I think I'll keep that too.The thing that makes getting rid of things easier is to maintain a thankful attitude for the things that I do have.