The box

-2, decks of cards (one red socks, one, photo of me and fatty as a kitten)...trash
-view finder with pic of her and I on a roller coaster...trash
- 1, egg crate flower, from when I begged for her forgiveness, after she dumped me, pre-engagement, both of us probably wish she had not taken me back...trash
- half ripped cover of her favorite book, which I read and was even more convinced that I loved her. ...trash
-small change purse, from 10,000 villages fair trade store, I bought her, she never used, with the receipt still inside.  In fact I'm not sure if I ever gave it to her.  ...give to thrift shop
- jade pendant, with silver dragon, first peice of jewelery I gave her, with some poetic speech about it symbolism. ...give to thrift shop
- the note I left on her door, that led to our first date   ...trash
-3 notes from her, that chronicle our early dating...trash
- a multi page note from me to her from the same period...trash
- 3 love letters from her on nice stationary, from early in the relationship ..trash
- type written letter from the time of our divorce, explaining why she was giving me all our old notes and love letters, also explaining that what we had was never love.   ...trash
- type written letter from our first breakup, a few years before, painful stuff, I wish I had known enough about myself, life, and her to have just let it be, rather than begging for her back, the relationship never recovered, I did not keep my promises...trash
- type written letter from when she took me back, and how our love would heal the wounds, it didn't...trash
- my journal from the time just before the breakup, the breakup and just after. Including some of the best interactions I had with my cousin who is now passed, sorry to lose these details of life...trash
- card from her during our engagement, with hopeful dreams of the future and speculation about where to go on our honeymoon, and a "grows in water" dream house...trash
- card with a picture of an African child, we sponsored a child, as a Christmas gift to each other...trash
- a thank you note from her to me for volunteering to help others, an atribute she appreciated about me...trash
- a long letter from me to her on our first anniversary...trash
- some other small notes from happier times...trash
- a note about what stuff I should take out of our house that was up for sale after our separation...trash
- my favorite picture of her in socks and sandels, wearing a mid length shirt, and a long sleeved sweater, in from a giant fiberglass dinsour, by a road side gas station....trash
- 4, letters from her to me when I was abroad for 6 months.  One containing a photo, old school selfie, actual film photo, pre digital.  ...trash
- our marriage enrichment kit, from premarital counseling and 10 children's drawning from her nephews... trash
- My pencil drawning of her with our cats, my charcoal drawing of her from one of our early dates, my first digital photograph of her....trash
- a marriage journel, in which we wrote each other notes...toward the end it was only me writing, the last note was after we were separated.  I didn't stop talking to the ghost of her for years.  ...trash
- the photo album from our wedding.  When I look at those pictures it is hard for me to believe that we were not truely in love.   ...trash
- the photo album of the pictures I couldn't part with, one she sent me, ones from our road trip, other ones from special times. ...trash
- a journal with periodic references to her, including 2 long letters, but also random notes, and lots of my poetry in it.  ...I think I'll keep this one, for now
- engagement ring, the setting was originally my grandmother's...painful, but I'll keep this.
- my wedding ring, this is symbol I'll keep to remember, although the feelings this symbol evokes are complex ...keep

Ten years since those contents went into that box.  I opened the box a lot in the beginning, then less and less, I hid the box away for a time in my brother's attic, for safekeeping.  It was no longer safe there so it went to my parent's attic.  They are planning to move to a retirement home.  It was time to empty the box.