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As I write this, I am in Ohio.
As you may or may not know, my mother-in-law has been suffering from lung cancer. Last week she lost the battle. Even though it is very hard to lose a loved one, we all wanted her to let go so that she could be free of the pain and suffering.
We buried her over the weekend, and now the family has been going through her personal items. It is an extremely overwhelming task, especially for her three sons. Have you thought about your personal items? If not, this post may prompt you to take a look at what you are holding on to.
The day of the burial was extremely emotional for the family (as it would be for any family). Afterwards, we came back to her house to begin the task of sorting her belongings. Just glancing around at the amount of items that has been held onto over the years was astounding. Two of the sons live out of state, and one has lived in the house with my mother-in-law throughout the illness. It is he that will be mainly going through the items, and to say he is overwhelmed is putting it mildly.
There are mounds of paperwork; including old bills, tax returns, social security information, medicare information, retirement stubs. And this goes back decades – it is not just a few months worth. There is also items that were held onto to be reused; not just a few, but hundreds of rolled up plastic grocery bags, baggie ties, and old containers that were saved to use for leftovers.
On the more personal side, there is album after album after album of photos that span 70 years. Luckily for us, our niece has volunteered to go through these albums and other photos, and will split them up for the families so that everyone will have valuable photos of happy times gone by. I have not really thought about what we will do with the photos, but will discuss with my two girls when I return, and will take the path that is best for us. Furniture, clothes, magazines, kitchen products (my mother-in-law was an amazing cook), medications, blankets, my deceased father n law’s clothes, newspaper clippings, tools, electronics. The list is truly never ending.
I am already enjoying a minimalist lifestyle but I too have more personal items I need to get through and the past week has provided me the incentive I need to move forward and stop procrastinating.
I don’t want my daughter’s to have to be overwhelmed with decades of items and mementos after I am gone. I would rather they enjoy the memories that we are making each day. I cringe to think about my kids going through old tax returns, old pay stubs, boxes of photos, and old clothes.
I will miss my mother-in-law terribly, but even in death she continues to teach our family valuable lessons. I vow right now to finish what I started. How about you?
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