Wow, am I in the minority or the majority?

Today is day three in the pitching and tossing in the basement. It is an interesting place down there, but justso much stuff. It looks much better than it has, friend who visited during the tornado, much better. In my defense,my basement is the dumping point for other people's guilt. They cannot bear to throw away family items they o longer use or want, so they give them to me so I can use them or "Just get rid of them if you don't need them". What do I need with kissing owls or a Shaun Cassidy album that doesn't even have "Da Doo run run" on it? But, there is the fear that they will ask for it back....which has happened before. So today, we took four big boxes to Goodwill to make room so I could get at more stuff. The stuff that ate my time away today was the kids drawings and papers from preschool on up. It seems like a no brainer, but every little picture...little handprint turkey...they are all precious. I know they are just things, but the pressure to make sure each child has equal memories, equal things saved is very important to me. It doesn't have to be tons of stuff, but quality items. I threw away a large garbage bag full and it was terribly sad. Luckily, the kids were occupied upstairs and did not see what I threw out. That would make it worse. It is terrible to go in our basement, which is not creepy, and feel suffocated. Now, we have no dead animal bodies there. Everything is in a container on shelves. I am proud to say that I have emptied at least seven Rubbermaid containers, with most of that going to Goodwill or the trash. So if you hear weeping from the dungeon of our house, know I am doing good things down there. I just am doing what needs to be done. Sigh.