DEAR HELOISE: Like so many of us, I too have downsized and/or realized my daughter doesn't want all of our "stuff." So, before I get rid of things that have sentimental value to me (in yard sales and things of that nature), I take a picture and put it in my "smile folder" on my computer. I realized that it wasn't touching the items that brought me joy, it was seeing them and the memories they evoked. So I can look at the pictures and still have the memories.