I'm getting stuff together to drop off at a Goodwill truck this morning. These two items are among the stuff. The Minolta camera is 33 years old. I bought it on my first journalism job in 1979 at The Fort Lauderdale News. I was in a small bureau, and we had to take our own photos to go with our stories, a great skill to learn early in a career. One of the "real" photographers I consulted said to buy a guitar strap for the camera, and I did.

The second item: Boots. They belonged to my mom's late-life companion, Hollis, who died four years ago. They didn't fit me or my husband, but we kept them around anyway. With the snowfall this week, and the home-clearing-out project here, it seemed like a good time to pass the boots on to someone who needs them.

Saying goodbye to both items evoked memories and some sadness. We grieve people. Stuff, we shouldn't. But we do because of the memories around the stuff.

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