It is done. All of the clothes of Hannah’s I want to keep fit snuggly in a Christmas storage tub. For now, anyway. Eventually, I will get a hope chest for her clothes, but this will do for now.
I didn’t intend to do it, especially after the tailspin it threw me into just a couple of days before. But Daddy wanted to clean out our master closet so we can actually use it the right way, since half of it was holding all of our linens because the linen closet was holding all of Hannah’s clothes and medical supplies.
Daddy offered to take all of Hannah’s clothes, box them, and put them in the garage for when I was ready to go through them.
But the idea of that really bothered me. My insane brain didn’t want the clothes that I felt connections with to end up in the garage.
So I did it. Three bags went to donation, one bag is going to my little nieces, and one storage tub full of Hannah memories safely tucked in my master closet with her memory box of keepsake items, cards, and items with special memories of Hannah.
When I was cleaning out my mom’s house, I found the box she had kept of my brother’s things. (He died at about the same age as Hannah.) It was like opening a time capsule, but it gave me a little insight as to what he was like; reminded me that he was a real kid and not an abstraction. I know my mother treasured that box, for over 40 years. I hope this may give you as much comfort.