Monday, March 16, 2015

Declutter Delay

It's been a hot topic for a couple of years now: simplify, throw out, declutter. Kind of like spring cleaning on steroids. The other day I thoroughly cleaned the front room, rearranging the furniture, making sure to catch all the sneaky dust bunnies hiding in the corners and clinging to the paneling.
Today I decided to tackle my closet. I moved a few pair of shoes to the Goodwill pile and threw out a couple empty(!) boxes. While cleaning the top shelf, I found my box of letters from Haiti. Not too long ago, I was wondering where I had put this, thinking it was probably time to toss it out.

That's quite a stash! 

I pulled out two cards that weren't lined up like the rest. You can see them sitting along the edge of the box. The first was a birthday card from 1984, from the two young men who taught me Creole, written in French, of all things!

"Happy Birthday, dear Madame Steve. May the year be a year of joy, peace, goodness, success, and all good things." ~Joel, your unforgettable friend.
"If ever you arrive somewhere else, this card will remind you of your best friends." ~Jean Claude.

Oh, my! "If ever you arrive somewhere else." Yup, I'm definitely somewhere else, and my eyes are filling with tears. Next, a birthday card from 1985.


This was also from Joel and Jean Claude, plus the third of the Three Musketeers: Prophete. The upper left corner says, "From J. Dorceus, J. C. Louis, P. Baptiste. "Prophete is not here. Happy birthday from him, for he put his money to buy the card, too."

I think you can read the rest. "If May 12th wasn't existed, we would invent it, so to wish you a happy birthday and a happy mother's day."

What can I say? A big chunk of my life. Faraway friends, and one already awaiting me in heaven. I carefully put the two cards back in the box. I'll continue to clean and declutter, but this treasure box won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Little by little, I'll do my best to work my way through the memories.

2 comments:

  1. I love this and I love their words! I would love to hear more about that part of your life!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this and I love their words! I would love to hear more about that part of your life!

    ReplyDelete