monster trucks and memories

Currently I am on a simplifying rampage. Granted, the term 'simplify' seems to nice and peaceful, and rampage seems rather volatile. But in my case, it's taking the volatile to *bring* the peaceful. I have to be ruthless with myself in my 'cleaning out' efforts because, frankly...I have four chidren, and a small house. There seems to be less and less room for the people that we want to be filling our spaces because there's too much 'stuff'. You must understand...I have never tended toward being a 'minimalist'. In fact...quite the opposite...I come from a LONG line of hoarders. It's in my genes to save everything, for who knows what that might come down the pike. That mother-daughter banquet in ten years where we are going to dress up in an 'oldies' theme and wear clothes from the nineties? (Hey, there have been times where scenarios like this have come up, and that hoarding has come in handy!) Over the years I really have gotten better and better about cleaning out...I tend to 'purge' about once a year or so. It's amazing how much can accumulate, or be outgrown, or just simply lose it's significance in a year's time. That 'thing' that I just couldn't part with last summer...I'm MORE than ready to toss in the yard sale box this year.

(I'm also being spurred on by a great book I'm reading called "Organized Simplicity".  This isn't a book review, but if you want to know more, check it out or feel free to ask me.  I'm really enjoying it!!)

The main point of my post though is, somewhere in the midst of my ruthlessness on clutter, I have to leave just a little bit of room for sentimentality.  As I was cleaning out videos...happily saying "So long!!" to the plethora of Veggie Tales and other kid-videos that we've accumulated over the years, one tape caught my eye.  It was one I rather despised for a few years...a video of Monster Trucks.  No story line, no nothing except loud, oversized, obnoxious trucks revving their engines, blowing flames and such, and crushing cars.  Ugh.  However, I couldn't help but pull the tape out from the 'get rid of' box, because the sight of it flooded me with memories.  Memories of very little boys, squealing with excitement when their Pappy would come over, tickle and wrestle them, and then lay on the floor and watch this video.  I can remember them sitting on his back, and Bryce's little voice..."Pap!  Pap!  Look at dat one!!"  Ugh...how I hated the roar of those engines over and over...but now, how I miss the littleness of those precious boys and their adoration of the Pap that they now miss, but think of often.

Yeah, time marches on.  Little boys become big boys, and they trade Monster Truck videos for 'The Avengers' theater tickets.   Instead of sippy cups we have sports drinks, and family walks in the evenings have been replaced with practices and games and concerts.  Pappy now watches them from heaven instead of the living room floor.  Things change, but we always have memories.  And so, as a reminder...I think I'm gonna hang on to this video for a little while yet.  No, we don't even own a VCR anymore...but it doesn't matter.  I know well what's on this tape, and just seeing it's cover takes me down memory lane...and that's enough to make me decide it's worth it's place on the shelf.