Downsizing...or getting rid of stuff I can live without

Last weekend I went through my closet. Like most women I have way too many clothes. OK, and shoes. But in defense of my show habit, I will paraphrase from a favorite book, "In Her Shoes" and say ' shoes don't discriminate they don't care if you're fat, skinny, tall or short.' So, hence the many shoes that make my closet their home.
But this isn't about shoes. It's about downsizing.
For some reason, if I find an article of clothing I love, I tend to hang on to it forever. And when I say forever, let's just say that after this closet cleaning I finally threw out a blouse I had owned for 10 years. Yes, 10 as in a decade.
I'm trying to be practical, if I haven't worn said article of clothing in the past year or if I forgot I had it, it no longer resides in my closet. Yes, it's difficult to get rid of things, but I told myself there are people out there who can really use it. In the end I ended up with one large plastic bag full of clothing.
But the closet is just one area of my home that needs this approach. Throughout my two-bedroom condo are things...candles, vases, books. Most just sit and gather dust.
I will say this the books I have are non-negotiable...they are staying. That's not to say I haven't donated some books in the past. I have. The ones left are special and for the most part have been read more than once. They are part of me and so they stay.
Like most people when I travel I buy mementos which at the time seem just perfect, but by the time I get home and well, just add to the stuff I already have.
I'm trying a new approach for future trips. I'll buy postcards which I can put in either albums or a scrapbook, key rings and maybe a T-shirt. And of course lots of photos.
But that still leaves me with all the stuff I already own. I have gotten rid of some items, but others are just too hard to part with.
I'm also trying to be practical when it comes to things like bed sheets. If you really stop and think about it, how many pairs of sheets do we really need? After all we only use one pair on the bed at any given time. So it seems to me that three pair should suffice. And yes, I currently own three sets after getting rid of another three a while back.
The same holds true of clothes. How many pairs of jeans is enough? Three, five, nine? When you stop and think about it we can only wear one pair at a time. Seems to me like three pair would suffice, unless of course your job requires jeans as your primary attire.
I know if it came down to it, i could live without 90 percent of the things I currently own. And I would be just fine.
But the challenge is getting rid of those things.

Children burn victims from Mexico; Shriners in Sacramento and ignorant people

I don't get it. How is it that people call themselves Christians, but yet make the most ignorant and blatantly cruel statements.
As I write this, several children who were seriosuly burned in a childcare center in Hermosillo,Mexico are being brought
to Shriners Hospital in Sacramento for treatment of burns. In most of these cases the children have been burned over 50 percent of their body.
Just in case you don't know what Shriners does, it provides medical care for "children up to the age of 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palates so they can receive care in a family-oriented environment at no financial obligation to patients or families."
And did I mention Shriners Hospital for Children is an international health care system. Which means any child from any country can get medical care.
The Sacramento Bee has an article today about the first child arriving from Mexico for treatment. This child is three-years-old, a little girl with burns over 80 percent of her body.
Now you would think this would draw compassion from readers. Well, think again. On the blog back section after the article there are people blasting Shriners for treating these children the implication is why is Shriners, a hospital in California, treating children from Mexico.
Some of the comments are downright devoid of humanity.
Yes, these comment have racial undertones. One poster even says Shriners will no longer receive donations from them because the money is not being used to help American kids.
I guess they missed that line about Shriners being an internatinal organization. I can see how it can be missed, afterall it's only the FIRST sentence on the home page of the Shriners website.
Shriners does some incredible work. And anyone out there who wants to help them continue in their mission of providing medical care for children...regardless of where in the world they come from...should consider donating to them.
The website is: http://www.shrinershq.org/ and look for the donate tab.