Making a Major Move - Purging and Starting Fresh

My husband and I are about to wrap up a major move from Florida to South Carolina. We love the "Sunshine State," but we love our children and grandchildren even more, so we decided it was time to get closer to them. It's never easy to move, but this was extremely difficult. I loved our Florida house and thought we'd probably stay there for a very long time. Now we've found a house in South Carolina that I think we'll enjoy just as much. 

View from the front yard of the
house we left behind in Florida.

As we went through the past 11-1/2 years of stuff we'd accumulated, we had to make decisions about whether or not to keep each thing. It was easy to toss the old shampoo bottles half filled with liquid that I didn't like enough to keep but thought they might come in handy if I ever ran out of the one I liked. It wasn't too difficult to get rid of kitchen gadgets that I only used once and then tossed into the back of the drawer.

What was difficult, though, was deciding whether or not to keep old greeting cards. We found boxes and boxes of cards we'd been given for various occasions – birthday cards, Christmas cards, and thinking-of-you cards. They were all thoughtful, but we eventually decided to only hang onto those that were handmade – mostly by our granddaughters.

The coffee table and end tables showed years of wear from our children's art projects and prior moves. I seriously considered keeping them, but I'd have to refinish them to make them look nice with the new furniture we plan to buy. I'd rather spend that time with the family. So I donated them.

After watching our furniture getting carted off by friends, neighbors, and the Salvation Army, we thought about how expensive it will be to replace it. But it will also be a fresh start that enables us to decorate according to our current tastes and where we are in life at this moment.

The timing on this move couldn't be better. I'm in the midst of writing my 3-book Uptown Belles series for Charisma House. Everything related to my career is calm at the moment. Shortly after we settle into our new home, I'll receive edits on my second book, and I'll be ramping up the promotion of the first book, so I'll quickly have a sense of normalcy as I dive into the work. The Lord has had His hand in all of this, giving us a sense of peace about our decision. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, but He has also given us the ability to deal with the glitches that have come our way.

Have you ever made a major move that involved leaving something you like behind? How did you make the decision about what to take and what to give away or donate?