Is Downsizing a Good Idea for You?

I know it was a good idea for me. Preparing to leave a large house for a small 'cottage' has been quite a challenge.  How do you dispose of 39 years of memories?  Ive discovered that some of those past memories were very important to me at the time.  Now years later, they don't carry the importance they once did.  Im taking an objective look at everything in my possession. Will it be important to someone else in the future?  Will they be glad I saved this or will they just be mad because they are having to clean out a lot of things they consider junk?  Well those things are very hard to decide.  Im trying to condense the items I think will be appreciated in the future.  Grouping them together and labeling them is the best way to preserve them.  Clasp envelopes are a good way to store papers from your kids childhood.  Some say store a copy on the computer, but there is just something special about holding my first grade paper, written about a field trip, in my hand. I also have a souvenir from the trip. I think they would look nice in a frame. I can imagine the item being on display in an antique shop 50 years from now.  That depends on how important my kids think it is ;)