A few years ago, I was asked by my grandmother to come help her downsize so she and my Pop could move into a retirement center. I thought how hard can this be?? Sure...I had no idea what I was about to embark on and how it would affect the rest of my life.
Needless to say, we had to go room by room and figure out what to do with all their treasures that they had acquired over the years. My pop was in the military and they had traveled all over the world, thus accumulating quite a bit of stuff.
Before I go any further...stop for a minute and think about all the things you have in your home that mean something to you. Think about your treasures, things like pictures frames, or boxes of pictures, newspaper articles, awards, the dishes you have used for so many special occasions, your favorite Christmas decorations, kids report cards or wedding memorabilia. Even your clothes, shoes , linens and keepsakes that have already been passed down to you.
As I was going through her things we basically had three options...I could have whatever I wanted, we could sell it in a garage sale we were having that weekend or it went into the trash pile. So think about that for a minute...Everything you have worked for, all your treasures, the things that you love looking at everyday will either end up with another person or in the trash.
She was pretty weak at the time this was going on, so she sat on a stool while I went through everything. If I didn't want it (and I couldn't take it all) then she would say sell or trash. This broke my heart and it didn't take long for me to realize this was going to happen to me someday, too.
You would think that after we finished our piles, the hardest part was over...but not so much? The garage sale was difficult, too. I had to send her back inside the house on several occasions. You see, her treasures were still very valuable to her even though they were not to the strangers rummaging through her stuff.
Let me go back for a minute...one other thing that was happening is she was trying to decide what she could take with her. She was downsizing from a 3 bdrm house and 80 years worth of belongings, to a small one bedroom type apt., with no stove, only a small fridge, microwave and one sided sink. One small closet for the two of them to share and only a small balcony-no yard-no garage- She said, "I only need 4-forks, knives, plates, cups". She only needed about 5-7 outfits and a black dress, in case she needed to attend pops funeral and her favorite blue dress.
My grandmother died about 5 months later and was buried in her favorite blue dress....She never really even moved into the retirement center. We did move most all of her things there and then she sent me on my way. She said someone else was going to do the rest. She was shortly admitted to the hospital, where she spent her last days. This is why I think she is a pillar of strength and I admire her so. All of my life I remember her catching a lot of flack for being so organized and trying to keep everyone on a schedule. (Some family members called it bossy/controlling) but even until she was too weak to do so, she made sure all her work here was done.
I think she knew she was about to leave this world and she had to do what she had to do. I don't know this for sure, but looking back, it explains the sense of urgency to sell the house and get this move done. She made it sound like it was just because she was fed up with all the work and responsibility that came with being a home owner and having all that stuff.
For months after her death I would just stand there and look at all my treasures and think...who would want this stuff? It was so surreal to think that none of what I had would really matter in the end. But what did matter is the impact that she made on my life and that will be a treasure that no one can take from me...as a matter of fact, I can pass it on and even take it with me when I leave.
So, take a look at all your treasures...and make sure you are storing them up in the right place...in the hearts of others.
I love you grandma and thank you for teaching me unconditional love. Thank you for teaching me strength and to stay the course. I miss you...
Needless to say, we had to go room by room and figure out what to do with all their treasures that they had acquired over the years. My pop was in the military and they had traveled all over the world, thus accumulating quite a bit of stuff.
Before I go any further...stop for a minute and think about all the things you have in your home that mean something to you. Think about your treasures, things like pictures frames, or boxes of pictures, newspaper articles, awards, the dishes you have used for so many special occasions, your favorite Christmas decorations, kids report cards or wedding memorabilia. Even your clothes, shoes , linens and keepsakes that have already been passed down to you.
As I was going through her things we basically had three options...I could have whatever I wanted, we could sell it in a garage sale we were having that weekend or it went into the trash pile. So think about that for a minute...Everything you have worked for, all your treasures, the things that you love looking at everyday will either end up with another person or in the trash.
She was pretty weak at the time this was going on, so she sat on a stool while I went through everything. If I didn't want it (and I couldn't take it all) then she would say sell or trash. This broke my heart and it didn't take long for me to realize this was going to happen to me someday, too.
You would think that after we finished our piles, the hardest part was over...but not so much? The garage sale was difficult, too. I had to send her back inside the house on several occasions. You see, her treasures were still very valuable to her even though they were not to the strangers rummaging through her stuff.
Let me go back for a minute...one other thing that was happening is she was trying to decide what she could take with her. She was downsizing from a 3 bdrm house and 80 years worth of belongings, to a small one bedroom type apt., with no stove, only a small fridge, microwave and one sided sink. One small closet for the two of them to share and only a small balcony-no yard-no garage- She said, "I only need 4-forks, knives, plates, cups". She only needed about 5-7 outfits and a black dress, in case she needed to attend pops funeral and her favorite blue dress.
My grandmother died about 5 months later and was buried in her favorite blue dress....She never really even moved into the retirement center. We did move most all of her things there and then she sent me on my way. She said someone else was going to do the rest. She was shortly admitted to the hospital, where she spent her last days. This is why I think she is a pillar of strength and I admire her so. All of my life I remember her catching a lot of flack for being so organized and trying to keep everyone on a schedule. (Some family members called it bossy/controlling) but even until she was too weak to do so, she made sure all her work here was done.
I think she knew she was about to leave this world and she had to do what she had to do. I don't know this for sure, but looking back, it explains the sense of urgency to sell the house and get this move done. She made it sound like it was just because she was fed up with all the work and responsibility that came with being a home owner and having all that stuff.
For months after her death I would just stand there and look at all my treasures and think...who would want this stuff? It was so surreal to think that none of what I had would really matter in the end. But what did matter is the impact that she made on my life and that will be a treasure that no one can take from me...as a matter of fact, I can pass it on and even take it with me when I leave.
So, take a look at all your treasures...and make sure you are storing them up in the right place...in the hearts of others.
I love you grandma and thank you for teaching me unconditional love. Thank you for teaching me strength and to stay the course. I miss you...
Pretty deep. We had to do that for my Grandmother, and now that you say all that, I was just looking at it as junk, not treasures that she had fond memories of. How sad to give them up.
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