Christmas is over, everything is packed away, and up into the attic it goes.

While we were there, my husband decided to start going through the boxes and containers, with the goal of getting rid of things we no longer used.

I’m fully in support of this – we have been minimizing around the house for at least a year.

Now that we have been empty nesters for several years, we’ve undertaken transforming the family house into the grandparents home – a place where the kids and our grandchildren can visit. Inside and out, this is our goal as we purge the house of clutter, and redecorate the kids former rooms into guest rooms.

Exploring the depths of the attic is like opening a Pandora’s box – you don’t know where it will lead you.

Tonight, my husband summoned me to help him go though some large plastic tubs.

Three were filled with the decorations I’ve used over the past decade for a breast cancer luncheon a close friend organized annually.

This dear friend passed away from the cruel curse of ALS a year ago yesterday.

Going through these tubs took me back to weekends spent making the decorations, laughing with friends. It reminded me of lunches and teas spent trying to figure out what next years theme would be – and planning how to make it work.

For ten years, every fall we had a women’s luncheon. We did all the planning, decorating, organizing, fundraising. We raised tens of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research.

Peering into the tubs filled with pink decor, hand made boxing gloves, feather boas, centerpieces…it is literally the end of an era.

What I can donate to charity, I will. The rest goes away, never to re-emerge. A heaviness fell upon me.

We did a lot of good, and this will be part of my dear friends legacy.

I have hundreds of digital pics that remind me of the fun and memorable times.

The great memories will bring me smiles for years to come.