I'm a Pack Rat-I think it might be hereditary

There are many drawbacks to being a pack rat. You have too much stuff. You have stuff you don't really need. Sometimes it's hard to remember which of your "safe, so I'll know where it is" places you put something.

Today I remembered one of the positive things about being a pack rat. I went through my hope chest because it was really too full and I knew there were things in there that I didn't need and some things that I wouldn't even want anymore. So I began digging through my past. If you are not a sentimental person you are missing out because it is SO easy to forget about things that have happened in your past. For example- I found the car handle to the Prelude. That's right, one day I went to get in it and the all metal door handle broke off in my hand-I don't even work out! That is something I forgot about but because I saved the handle-today I got to remember. I also found a card that Doug gave me on our two week and six day anniversary of being married. I also found my diary from Elementary school. It is priceless. If you ever have the opportunity to read a seven year old's diary I highly recommend it! How about the "Teen Magazine" Back to School issues from all four of my high school years-how fun is that to look back at the clothes I wished I could have.

So, I was cleaning out the hope chest and came upon some old bowling trophies. I threw them away. Emma came along and rescued one out of the trash absolutely astonished that anyone would throw away such a treasure. To her, it was so "beautiful" and "shiny". To me it was a THIRD place bowling trophy from 16 years ago. Suddenly I realized that she was becoming me. At seven I can GUARANTEE you that I would have tried to rescue a beautiful shiny trophy from the trash also. I laughed SO hard my stomach started hurting. She just kept going on and on about how great it was. I just kept laughing and laughing.