Having moved more than 40 times in my life, much of it as a Marine brat, I learned early not to get attached to things too much. That has been both good and bad, of course.

My last move - and I pray it IS my LAST move - to Wyoming was after 17 years in one place, and I wound up leaving about 80% of the stuff behind. It was traumatic in many ways, but it doesn't bother me now.

My Mother always told us that we were lucky to just be moving - so we could choose those few things we could take. We were always advised to compare it to having a fire instead...

Keep the good memories, and the stuff that goes with them if you can. Keep the timeless and classic books, but forget the rest. I kept all my old college nursing books for many years, for instance, and then when I packed to come here realized how sadly out of date and irrelevant they all were. I sent them to missionaries in Peru or somewhere.

I suspect all things are relative. Just do the best you can, and don't get caught up in too much anguish over it, or guilt, or let it paralyze you into inaction.

Come home to the west...