If you have small children, they will be making you gifts and cards. They also will be receiving many cards and Valentine items from school or interest groups.
A special someone in your life may give you a card and/or a gift.
Nice.
Now, let’s look at someone 60+ years of age. What if you kept every card, every remembrance, every dried flower? That could be very overwhelming.
Then what do you do with all of these handmade or carefully chosen cards and gifts?
This is a very personal decision but I am pretty sure you don’t want them lying around all over your house.
Box up the best and label them. Then put them away on a shelf and if you wish, once a year, take them out to look at and remember.
Take a picture of a group of cards or items and then let them go.
Make a collage of the best cards and bring it out for decoration each Valentine Day.
Save the best – the ones with meaningful messages written inside or a special poem – and let the rest go. Put the significant items in a special box.
Pass on old cards to schools or nursing homes so that they can re-purpose them into projects.
If this seems like an overwhelming task, break down the project into manageable bits of time and then move on to something else. Get help from someone who will help you talk through why you want to keep certain items and give you permission to let items go. After all, when you toss out a card that your mother gave you 20 years ago, you are not tossing out your mom.
Letting go of some of the memorabilia will clear up space for more happy memories to come your way.
Happy Valentine Day!
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer