Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten most of those pearls of wisdom except for this: “Don’t collect too many possessions.

Sylvia’s soft voice has returned to me these past weeks as I prepare to move from my big house in Topsham to a smaller home in West Bath. I have recalled her beautiful face framed in its halo of silver hair as I shovel out the attic, weed through belongings in the basement and price items for a yard sale.

Remembering her words has made me relentless as I made numerous trips to the town landfill and the Salvation Army. Sylvia’s words were in my head as I informed my four daughters my house is no longer considered “Storage ‘R’ Us.” The girls have come, some happily, some reluctantly, to retrieve their bikes, high school mementos and the other accouterments of their childhood.

I thought this whole process would make me very sad, but as each room becomes emptier, I don’t experience any feelings of loss, only the sense of true liberation.

I am not entirely heartless, as I do have grandchildren to consider. Although my new home is small, it has an attic, a basement and a garden shed, so I’m able to keep some remnants of the past: a bookcase of children’s books, the Old Maid cards and wooden puzzles, a portion of the massive Barbie collection, the dollhouse and the china tea set. After all, my grandson, Addison, needs toys to play with, and I’m hoping one day he’ll be romping at Grammie’s house with brothers, sisters and a bevy of cousins.

When I chose my new home, I made sure I’d have plenty of room for these future grandchildren, as well as for other guests. The attic will become a playroom. The yard is just large enough for badminton and croquet, our family’s favorite summer activities. There are two guest rooms, and a sunny nook where breakfast will be served while we gaze at the view of the marsh and fields, hoping to glimpse a rabbit, a deer, a blue heron or an osprey.

With every day that goes by, I pack another box and fill another trash bag, shedding the layers of 15 years of living in one place.

I’m finding that as I remove the clutter from my house, I feel calmer and less cluttered in my soul. And in giving away these things, I’m gifted with the appreciation of others whose need is much greater than mine. Whether you refer to this process as simplifying, downsizing, de-cluttering, cleaning out, relocating or readjusting, I highly recommend it.

For me, it’s been nearly a spiritual experience.

Keeping memories, too

Even though I’m excited about my move, I can’t say I won’t miss it here. This is where my girls and I grew up. As I walk through the sunlit rooms of this house that I’m about to leave, the memories surround me with astounding clarity. The graduation parties, each daughter having her turn at walking down the oak stairs in full prom regalia, the family dinners that often turned into late-night board game challenges in the big dining room, the lobster bakes and croquet matches in the shady backyard, Christmas mornings. Like the special things I’ve kept to feather my new nest in West Bath, I’ll take all the special memories with me as well.

When you read this column, I’ll be unpacking boxes at my new place. Good practice for what’s to come. I’ll be settled in just in time to help with the “domino effect” moves of three of my four daughters. By early autumn, Katie will be moving into a new house in Bowdoinham with Frank and Addison, leaving her home in Bath to her sister Shannon. Meanwhile, Stephanie will move across the hall to sister Shannon’s vacated apartment. Confused? Me too. So far Rachel and Stephen plan to stay put, but who knows what will happen in the coming months. Life is always full of surprises.

I do know this much for certain. No matter where we live, no matter what happens next, no matter what we give up or give away, we know we’ll always have the memories we’ve made together, along with the promise of so much more to come.

Karen Carlton is a freelance writer living in West Bath, who is a regular contributor to this column. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]