dear organizational consultant,

Ok. I bought the giant IKEA wardrobes and shelves to go in them (they are within 3" of the ceiling and were a bit of challenge to get up... thank God for an extra tall son-in-law)... I bought the Rubbermaid bins... I have them filled, although I admit I need to go through each bin and possibly throw out some more things... but mostly, the big clutter has become contained...

What I have now is the small clutter. The picture hanger nails, the odd marker, the funny looking thing I saved because I thought maybe someday I would do something with it... the three packages of fast drying clay I picked up maybe fifteen years ago... every single one of my yearly teacher evaluations... what was I thinking?!? ...

and here is really where the problem lies and I am asking for your thoughtful advice... I have every diploma I've ever received, including the one from elementary school that says I can go to high school, every grade card from 3rd - 8th grade, I open each one and read down the grades, I received a C in reading in 4th grade, I feel a bit sad for that little girl who didn't feel she fit into the new school... my baptismal certificate, a beautiful, four page document where my mother signs her name Amelia nee Berta under my dad's name Raymond J. Lewis, both names in my mom's handwriting... why did she write "nee", what does that mean, I know she was never fond of her middle name, and why did she use her maiden name... I could ask her, but she might not remember...my confirmation certificate was in the pile too. I find I am very reluctant to part with these things, but honestly, what am I keeping them for??? Right now, I've put them at the back of my file box but still wonder why why am I keeping this stuff.

I think these items are like all the pictures I cannot seem to part with... I can't part with even the bad pictures, the poorly taken ones... I find I am even saving the pictures of the people I do not know, who were alive before I was born... I do not need these pictures... I do not need memories of something that never was mine... but there they are in their albums and in the boxes I've stashed them in.

Anyway it is obvious I need help in these matters... so help me.