Letting GO

Take a moment to imagine this: watching every possession you own being tossed into dump trucks, carried away to a final destination you’d rather not picture. Now think even harder—imagine the special items that hold deep meaning for you. Turn those emotions up to a ten. That’s what our home feels like today.

For the last two weeks, Mikey and I have been sorting through our possessions, deciding what to keep (and send to family for safekeeping) and what has to go because of size or weight. We each have those triggering items—the ones that hit us hardest to let go.

For Mikey, it’s his tools. He’s spent years creating, repairing, and remodeling with them. Some even belonged to his grandfather. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have something once used by either of my grandfathers. Even the newer tools hold memories and emotions for him. Thankfully, we’re finding a way to ship them to family until we’re settled and they can be sent to us.

For me, it’s the Christmas decorations. Going through each bin brings back so many memories. I’m not talking about the ones we grabbed at Michael’s or other stores. I’m talking about the ornaments with our dogs’ names—past and present. The decorations we bought while traveling. Years ago, we decided to buy a Christmas ornament on every trip instead of other souvenirs. Each one holds a story, a moment, a piece of our life together. And then there are the Santas—tall, small, and everything in between—that filled our home with joy each holiday season.

Now, ninety-nine percent of our possessions are being thrown into the back of dump trucks, never to be seen again. We each took a turn watching the crew pick up and toss our belongings into the dumpsters before realizing we couldn’t keep watching. It’s gut-wrenching. Packing the items and stacking them in the house was one thing—seeing them disappear is another.

It will take about eight truckloads to carry everything away. As we sit here in the computer room with 12 Oaks and Tyson by our sides, I can hear the trucks driving off, only to return for more. I know exactly what each haul contains—and that means another part of our lives is gone.

It’s going to be a rough day for The2Mikes.