As my youngest son grows older, we’re ready to part with more and more of our baby stuff. Our family is complete with our two delightful boys, so we’re ready to pass the things we’re no longer using on to someone who will use them.

This week, I sorted through bunch of baby gear. A large number of blankets (all were gifts, most of which we never used; a common trend in our collection of baby gear; see HERE), a wrap-style baby carrier (which I wore and used daily for most of the first two years of my boys lives, but they’ve now outgrown), a backpack-style baby carrier (I had two, and kept the one that fits my small frame best – I still use a carrier at times for my 2-year-old), a baby sleep sack (also well used), as well as a few unused odds and ends are all making their way to another home. Hopefully in their new homes, these items will be used and enjoyed.

I look at these objects as I prepare to pack them into a box for transport, and I remember my boys as the tiny newborns they used to be. As I finger the wrap carrier, my body recalls the feel of them snuggled against my chest, as I wore them day after day. I look at the sleep sack and recall the sweetness of their expressions as they slept. I am touched again by the love and kindness of the friends and family who gifted us with these many items.

But my memories of my young sons aren’t carried in the objects themselves; they are carried in my mind and in my heart. The love of our family and friends shines through our lives in a plethora of ways, none of which are contained by the gifts they bestowed on us.

It’s time to say goodbye to these things, and to free up space in our lives. My recollections of those fleeting baby days will stay with me, whether or not I keep the objects. Pictures can serve as a memory trigger just as surely as the object itself, while taking up virtually no space.

Broader thoughts:

It feels good to continue to remove things from our house as we finish using them, freeing up more and more space as our boys outgrow various items. Not only does removing things from our house free up physical space, I feel like it also opens up mental space. With fewer things around me, I feel like I have more space to breathe and to dream. I no longer have as many things to care for. My life is a little bit lighter.

Are you decluttering this week? If so, what are you passing on?