A year or two ago, I packed up hundreds of books and donated them to my local library. The books were taking over and they had to go! I went through a major withdrawal period, thinking I "lost" books I would need later. But eventually I forgot about them.
This is happening again. More and more books have entered my home. They are in my "dressing room," the hall bookcase, and the bedrooms. It is too much. I hate to let more go, but I will pack some up today and give them to the library.
I need to make room for living. I want an uncluttered home. I will keep only those books (and items) that are meaningful for me on a daily basis. I realize it will be painful, but this type of de-cluttering must be done consistently, in order to keep our home pleasant and functioning.
Many years ago, I visited the beautiful old home of a neighbor. She was a retired teacher in her 80's. She showed me her home library. She had plenty of rooms, and this library was elegant and lovely. Her collection of books were old, but important to her. She said we should never get rid of our books. Her wisdom sometimes gives me guilt when I want to de-clutter. But I know that if I only get rid of books that are "fluff" or not important to me, then I am not necessarily getting rid of them, but sharing them with others, while making room in my home for what matters to me most.
So today, I will vacuum and sweep and clean my kitchen. I will do laundry and homeschool. But my main project of the day will be to fill up a couple of bags full of old books and get them out of the house before I change my mind. I want pleasant rooms in this house, and this mission is essential to our happiness.
Blessings
Mrs. White
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Mrs. White-
ReplyDeleteI just noticed on the about you- that you are expecting two grand babies. Is your daughter expecting twins? Maybe I missed that announcement in one of your posts.
God Bless,
Amy
I can relate! I am a book lover, but I collect them at far too fast a rate! Parting with them can be painful, but I've come to realize that it's necessary if I don't want my entire house to be filled with books. I've decided that my books need to earn their keep. I've been going by this quote from Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery:
ReplyDelete'"Our library isn't very extensive," said Anne, "but every book in it is a friend. We've picked our books up through the years, here and there, never buying one until we had first read it and knew that it belonged to the race of Joseph."'
I'm trying to keep only the best books. Thanks for your inspiration.
i am in the middle of doing the same thing with my books! a very reflective time isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWhat a timely post! I was thinking earlier today that it's time to get rid of some of the books we've collected over the years. Many of them are books that my children "outgrew" years ago but I haven't wanted to let go of them. I think I will go through them and pick out a few that are special to us (Like Make Way for Ducklings and I Am a Bunny--two of my very favorites!) and will donate the others to the library.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your blog!!
Wendy
I fight the book battle also. My excuse for now is that my children may need them. I try not to keep anything I wouldn't want my children to read when they are old enough to. I also try to only keep well written books.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new baby.. may the Lord be blessing you at this time. Prayers to all the family and hoping you have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteMrs. White, I agree that space for living an uncluttered, uncrowded house is more important than hanging onto books you don't really need or want.Don't feel guilt from that old saying about never getting rid of books. That was from when information was rare and expensive. But now with the internet, it's free and instant. I have gotten rid of an entire set of old encyclopedias, and lots of other books, because anything in them can be found with a simple click online. I have probably eliminated half of our book shelves over the last five years--and no one has missed any of it.
ReplyDeleteThis post left me with some questions for you. I used to have your email but have since gotten a new email account. Would you please email me again so we can catch up and share like we used to and so I can ask you some questions about this post for living in a hotel with 3 children for months at a time as my hubby travels for work. My email is AThankfulMommy@gmail.com Thank you! Cassidy
ReplyDeleteI am at that point right now. I must give away or sell books from times past that we no longer need or love.
ReplyDeleteBe blessed!
Mrs. Laura Lane