Have you ever heard that statement before? They’re just things. That is what is going through my mind today.

I am sitting in my living room looking at the books. There are piles and piles of books. There are books on the floor. There are books in a DVD rack. There are books in a book shelf. Probably well over a hundred books. And all kinds of books. Adult books. Paperback. Hard cover. Fiction. Non-fiction. Chapter books. Picture books.

You probably are wondering what the problem is. I want to give these books good homes. I do not want to just drop them at goodwill or the library – though, I admit I am going to do just that. I am not going to be living in this area much longer. I have packed up two boxes of books to take with me. I have another 2500+ books in electronic format. I have a list of books I want to buy to read. These books  here cannot go with me.

They’re just things. And they are things I am having a hard time parting with. You may think I am crazy but it is the children’s books I am having the most trouble with just giving to the library. I keep thinking about my kids reading them and loving them. Some of the chapter books are series books and I remember buying some, not because my kids wanted that specific book but because I had read that book as a child.

There are memories in the these books. And therein lies the problem. I feel like I am giving away a family friend. I know the memories will always be with me – or I hope they will always be with me –  but for some reason, they seem more tangible when there is a physical piece of that memory still around.

The books will go. They will go to friends as some already have. They will go to the library for their used book sales. They will go to goodwill. They have to go as I do not have space for them to come with me but the act of giving them away is hard.

Have you ever had trouble parting with a physical item? Why? What caused the difficulty?