Mallika,

...because our Paleolithic human brains like to hunt and like to gather...especially women on the latter.

Kisses,
Saira

Hi Mallika, how nice to hear from you again! I hope the remaking of your house is going well.

Funny that you should post about this, I have been emptying my house these last weeks too and the two things that have been hard to decide about have been: the photographs and the drawings...

My daughter has also been producing tons of irreplaceable works of art for years now, but at some point (probably when we ran out of storage room) we decided together that she will do a periodical "clean up" herself, and only keep such that is still meaningful for her. I can recommend it, it is very freeing for everyone. Creativity can't flow when there is no room to put your new stuff. And how surprising to a clinging adult to see how easily a child can let go of stuff she has grown out of.

So what we do is this- keep the absolutely essential drawings, scan and store the ones that are one step from being masterpieces (meaning almost ready to be thrown away, but not yet) and discard the rest with a cheerful "thanks for our happy time together".

Why is it hard to give up certain material things? Because it's hard to give up the identification with whatever you are in relation to them.

I think our children are very aware of what many adults are no longer aware of. So I would keep all the work and if one studies a child's art, they might see beyond and what our children see naturally or know naturally but cannot express fully.

Love, Char

Read this book...................

The Lord of the Rings

Malika:

I know exactly what you mean.

I framed the first picture my daughter ever made.

It's the only one that would still have a hold on me if I hadn't decided to detach.

And believe me even after deciding to detach from all those pictures I still wouldn't give up that first one with out a fight even if it does hang in my ex-wife's home.

Why do we hold on? We hold on to more then the picture. We hold on to the stories we have built around these pictures. These stories form a part of our identity. They are our great mythologies.

In simpler put terms....Attachment.

Enjoy them until you don't.

Sentimental journey Mallika; this is what our childrens creations give to us. It does't get any easier either as they age(or us) as the piles just get bigger of their "stuff."

I have boxes of my sons things and I can't part with them!! I have pretty much every drawing he made; and every craft made in grade school class's.

He is off to 2nd year college next week; to settle in to a new apartment, with a new room-mate; and for some reason I am still stuck with all the "things" I've been collecting of his for the past nearly 19 years now.

What to do with them? DK's suggestion was good; I put some pics in a huge scrapbook, some went into photo albums... most are in boxes, carefully packed for some day, they are freed. There are baby toys, ninja turtles, piggy banks, games, mega-thunderzord, a marble collection, pog's collection.. on and on.

But, not today.

with loving kindness,
North

I don't think you're being fair to yourself. You mention giving up material things, but you've narrowed it down to keepsakes. Most people are grabbing boats and airplanes and even submarines. Your sort of "materialism" as you call it is extraordinarily sweet and tender.

You could put this stuff in a trunk and bury it with your daughter with the intention of digging it up in ten or twenty years. Find a place that's especially meaningful.

I knew an elementary school teacher who did this with her class, and when they'd graduated from high school, they all reunited to dig up their "time capsule". It was in the newspapers and everything.

You're not being "materialistic" if what you're doing is bring two or more people together. It's only deleterious if it separates you from someone else.

You should praise yourself for your compassion and love, my friend. Because it's a very sweet soul expression.

Blessings.

Millika
Working with children over the years my wife and I have also accumilated a wharehouse full of "things" or gifts. It is a dilema as to what to keep and what to let go of. We still have boxes and boxes of things given to us over the years. I from time to time clear things out. I go through a box and use my intuition as I touch each treasure and let go of some and hold on to others.

What is also interesting to me is that our children's communicate so strongly with art when they have only rudimentary word skills. They expess themselves some clearly through thier drawings. These drawings are a priceless window into the early years of your childs world. But redundancy is redundancy.

derek

derek

I have two little stuffed blue birds. One of them my mother kept. The other one I kept. When my mother passed, the two birds were together again. I keep them.

They are just stuffed birds, nothing miraculous about them at all.

But I can't let them go, and I will not separate them. Wherever I move to, those birds move with me. No one even knows their significance. It was just a little game between me and my Mom.

Mallika; make each daughter a "time capsule" in a special lock-trunk! To be given to each of them, on some special day when they are grown... add things of yours they loved over the years as surprises--a special nic nac, or scarf, cup, saucer, bowl, etc. : )

Hi Mallika!

Your post brought back many memories. I still have artwork, ceramics from when my son was in KDG and first grade.

Eventually I made choices...my 17 year old now chuckles when he hears my feelings about it. If we kept everything, we could build a shrine!

Hope all is well.

Joanie

Mallika. I am reading your book of promises.
I needed to tell you thank-you for writting the words I feel in my heart. Beeing a mom is so profound, and you wrote it in that same way.
My mother never kept any drawings or clothing or keepsakes of my childhood, and now that I have my daughter I wonder why she never did. I think you should hold on to them, for her.
Especially the contemporary ones! =)

Thank-you once again, for your books and for beeing a beautiful person.

Cynthia

Mallika. I am reading your book of promises.
I needed to tell you thank-you for writting the words I feel in my heart. Beeing a mom is so profound, and you wrote it in that same way.
My mother never kept any drawings or clothing or keepsakes of my childhood, and now that I have my daughter I wonder why she never did. I think you should hold on to them, for her.
Especially the contemporary ones! =)

Thank-you once again, for your books and for beeing a beautiful person.

Cynthia

Dear Mallika,
I'm not sure how old your baby is, however, perhaps sit down with her and go through the picture with her and consider "her" opinion in which ones to keep and which ones can be "recycled"...not thrown out.

Have a wonderful time sorting, that can also be a treasure worth remembering.
There's something about original art work, especially from a child...that is pure in its energy.

Cinda

good morning Mallika : ) Time capsules are precious; I make one every 5 years with my son, and we have a wonderful time, opening it every 5 years!! Amazing, how much our childs taste for things, food, music, change in just 5 years!!

I also made a picture collage. Two large frames with glass. I cut out pictures in shapes, and podgy-glued them overlapping, and side by side; on the frame back-base.... looks awesome!! Each has at least 75-100 photos in them. Sure cuts down on photo albums.

I've got 5 hard boxes I bought at the dollar store. I went through old albums, taking them apart; and each sibling has a box; and their pics went in them. Got rid of probably 17 albums this past spring, doing this!! I had over 30 years of albums to go through; some people in there, I forgot who they are.. lol what a trip down memory lane it was...

My son and I went through a few as well, since he's been home from college this summer. Great times together.. laughing so hard at some of the pics... regardless of what you do, it will be time consuming, but also guaranteed fun!!

Love,
North

Hello Mallika and everyone,

Introducing myself thank you.

I found out about Intentblog website a today.
What a discovery.

I just came back from attending the Satsang "Be the change" at Whistler, BC, sponsered by Deepak and the Chopra Center. I connected with Ashie (Heart in Action Ent. in vancouver a few days ago) It was a synchronistic meeting.

This is the first time that I have ever participated in a blog, even though I have my own blog.

To Mallika
In response to your blog, being a mother myself I quite understand how hard it would be to part with somehting that is so precious to you. I would suggest that you go through the drawings and sort out the ones that touch your heart the most and make it into a collage, and get the kids involved.
Love,
Brenda.
http://www.peacefulinterlude.com/blog

I would like your permission to connect IntentBlog url link to my Blog Mallika.
my email address is brenda@peacefulinterlude.com
please let me know.

Para mi dulce-preciosa...