The Benefits of Sorting...and Saving

Yes, I have written about cleaning out houses several times.  Well, here is another one, but a little bit of a different twist.

One of the benefits of sorting is finding treasures that are important to others.

For instance, when I cleaned out my room at West Central, I found the packet of items I had saved for Chris and Sharon Huber.  Angie's papers, her portfolio, some of the pictures that included her.  Since the clean out was quick (it took us two days, and I had to start at Ivy Tech soon after that) the boxes were stored in....the Blue Bedroom, and forgotten.

I found the packet again last week and took it to Chris and Sharon's house that afternoon on the way home.  They weren't there---or they didn't come to the door---so I gave them to Shannon and explained what I just wrote above.  She was very appreciative, and she expressed how happy they would be to have any and all things of Angie's and how special it all was to them.  Since I have been going through pictures and other things, I have found more including Angie, along with a thank you note that Sharon wrote to Angie for a Valentine she had made for her,  Those are in a pile to send to Chris and Sharon when the cleaning out process is complete.

Kyle Roth was in my Purdue English 101 class the summer that his cousin Tyler was killed.  Tyler was in a car accident on 14 east of Winamac at the beginning of June that summer.  Kyle and Tyler were very close, and one of the papers that Kyle wrote was about Tyler.  It didn't dwell on the tragedy of his death; rather it focused on memories and fun times they had together as a family and as teammates and friends  I contacted Tyler's mother, Melinda, on Facebook and told her I had found it, asked for her address, and offered to send the paper to her.  She was thrilled.  As I read the paper again, I was impressed not only with the content, but also with Kyle's command of the language and his style.   It was flawless---and a joy for this English teacher to read.  I know that Tim and Melinda will cherish the paper, and I am happy I could bring some good memories to them through Kyle's writing.

Auntie Ann was really into ceramics.  We used to joke about what kind of ceramic piece we would all receive for gifts that particular year.  She made ceramic pieces for everyone in her family and all of her friends. In fact I knew that I had been accepted as a Siemens when she gave me my first Creation by Ann. In fact she tried hard to pass on her love of ceramics to the girls also.  She took them with her to Ceramics sessions and helped them make items for 4-H projects.  Unfortunately those items made with Auntie Ann were the only ones they created.  But...in the clean out process we found two shoeboxes in a tub.  When I investigated, I found two china tea sets, complete with teapot, little cups and little saucers.  There could be more, but I didn't unwrap everything - yet.   The sets were very intricate.  One was designed with little pink rosebuds, the other with blue.  On the bottom of each piece was either the name Megan or Hilary or the initials M or H.  Also on the bottom of each was the date - 1990.  Then finally the words Ann + Bud or A + B.  She had made a tea set for each of the girls.  This made me cry.  I cannot even remember her doing this for them, and I definitely don't remember their ever playing with them.  I probably was too scared that they would break them to let them play.  So into a box or tub they went, never to be enjoyed.  I hope that they will pull them out and look at the pieces, then allow their daughters to enjoy them, when it is time and when Tessa and Lynnlee can appreciate them and care for them.  What a nice legacy to pass on to them!

While some of the items we have found make us wonder why on earth we ever kept them, or what they are, or what we should do with them now....others make us smile and know that others will enjoy them as we pass them on.