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Heartwings Love Notes 840 - Being of a Saving Nature

Heartwings says: When does saving become hoarding and how can you tell?

The presence of my mother's linen sheets from her wedding trousseau, still tied with their original pink satin ribbons was an intriguing mystery, first in her cedar trunk and then later when the house got added onto, the hallway linen closet. They had never been used and apparently were not supposed to be. My father used to say jokingly that she was saving them for her next husband. I never got an explanation about them from her.

In the cedar chest in her bedroom at the foot of the bed she also kept a costume she had worn for some classes in Spanish dance. The exotic, colorful skirt and top sprinkled with bangles, fascinated me. In her dressing table drawer she kept a beautiful collection of small, decorative evening purses she seldom used. I loved looking at them. My father would tease her about the several little cardboard bureaus she kept things in. She seldom if ever threw anything away.

My saving nature was doubtless patterned after her proclivities. Though I don't go to the extremes she did. Once I was helping her tidy up the contents of a closet in their summer home on a lake in Maine. As we cleaned it out I teased her about the number of toasters and also irons she had stowed away. She informed me rather sternly that she had bought them at yard sales and was keeping them in case the one she was using failed to work. She seemed to need to feel she had enough and to spare. Perhaps her behavior was a result of her experiences in Germany during World War I.

I did inherit some of her saving nature. However my version of it is tied to what will prove useful in the future. I save leftovers and seldom have to throw them away because they combine nicely to make new meals. Small boxes that are good to hold gifts, padded envelopes that can be used again, tissue and wrapping paper, and more jostle one another for room in my hallway. When Christmas comes, or the birthdays of dear ones I don't need to go to the store for packaging. However, I differ from my mother in one significant way: When my collections impede progress in the hall, I recycle to our local thrift store.

May you find good ways to reuse and recycle what you can.

PS What do you enjoy saving? And why? I love it when readers share their thoughts. Do write and comment. I promise to reply.

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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