Several years back, before I began working at The Vicksburg Post, I took on a major job.

I decided it was time to organize all the newspaper clippings, report cards, certificates of awards and whatever other keepsakes of my four children I had saved through the years.

This was not an easy job.

So for anyone who is interested in taking on a project of this nature, be sure and set aside not only hours, but days to finish the task.

That is if you have saved as much “stuff” like me.

I knew sorting through all the paperwork, pictures and program books would be rather tedious, but what I had not realized was how much fun it could be.

There is nothing like finding a card written from your child who is now grown and gone from home.

Yes, there were many tears that were shed in the process as well as some laughs.

I also found a few items that I could potentially use as blackmail.

You never know when you might need a kiddo to take you to the mall once the eyesight begins to wain or heaven forbid your car keys are revoked!

I am a lover of family history, and those days spent sitting on the floor sifting through the paperwork and surrounded by snippets of the past were delightful.

Much of what I organized were keepsakes from the children’s elementary school days, and like those fuzzy feelings I experience while sifting through my children’s artifacts, I also feel a bit nostalgic every time I visit Bowmar Elementary School.

With the age span between my four kids, I was a regular at the school for nearly 20 years.

From carpool lines to serving as a homeroom mother to attending class performances, I have put a lot of miles in those hallways.

On Wednesday I got to return.

Someone discovered ceramic tiles with designs made by former students, and the school wanted to get the word out in an effort to give them back to their owners.

I jumped on the assignment in hopes of finding a tile made by one of my girls.

I knew the time frame in which these tiles were made, and it would have been around the time my two oldest attended.

During the 1994-1995 school year, Bowmar had received a grant, and one of the requirements was to enhance the exterior of the school.

Students painted the tiles and affixed them to portions of the school’s brick façade.

I even remember attending a program once the project was complete.

Through the years, tiles have fallen off, and some of the brick façades were removed.  Somehow, many of these pieces of art were saved.

Unfortunately, it had not been the ones my children created.

I wish the outcome could have been different, however, it was still rewarding to remember some of my girl’s early years at Bowmar.

While I may not have come home with a treasure, I still have plenty of memories tucked away.

The best part now is that anytime I have the desire to pull out something from one of my children’s past, I know exactly where to go.

It may take great effort to pull the 40 trillion ton Tupperware tubs from the top of the closet, but now that I have categorized my mementos by child, if one of them is interested in looking at their second-grade report card, it will be easier to find.