She told him of Johnsy's fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker.
Sometimes adhering to a rule like " remove anything that hasn't been used in the last year" can help you get rid of unnecessary things you feel overly attached to.
Bidding farewell to them was like closing a door forever on a part of her life, a bitter, harsh part but one which she recalled with a nostalgic satisfaction.