Posted on 07/19/2019 12:02:35 AM PDT by beaversmom
I was reading this in a Ray Bradbury tone, that the movers were the State taking all valuables.
All of the "valuable" treasures it took my parents a lifetime to collect were marked for sell at a reasonable price but well below what was originally paid.
I recall how sad it was to come back to my folk's house after the estate sell. The rooms were bare as were the walls.
The home I grew up in was no longer my home....it was just a building that I would soon be selling to someone.
It is a poignant reminder that we brought nothing into this world and we will not take anything with us from this world.
+1
I never realized it till you posted that, it does kind of sound a lot like something Bradbury would write...I have no idea how many of his books and short stories I’ve read over the past 50 years... Fahrenheit 451 is probably the best of them. 451 is the temperature at which paper burns...Bradbury and Heinlin are two of the best sci-fi writers out there, and Roger Zelazny is another favorite...others too, Larry Niven, Arthur C Clarke...
My folks traveled the world and have some really nice things. The expectations are that we will take them and keep them.
They mean nothing to me. I have no place for them. I have no connection to them other than their value.
But my mother’s torn cookbook or the mixing bowl she still has from the 1950’s? Those are priceless.
It’s only money and stuff and you can’t take it with you when you die. If you could, it would burn.
We took several truck loads of my grandparents things to the VFW thrift store. That night the place burned. Sad ending to it all.
Substitute Movers for Firemen.
What’s the old saying about our stuff when we die?
“You can’t take it with you.”
I have a ton of stuff. I’m a terrible packrat. I need to get rid of most of it.
One of the small phobias I have is someone going through my stuff after I die and thinking what a clutzy creep I was.
I have a list of mother’s treasures with the original owners and history of each with the intention of one day reuniting them. Unfortunately, she’s a witch and will likely leave everything to the state so all the history will be lost.
What a depressing article. But, thank goodness for the people that step in (either volunteer or paid), and help get rid of the “stuff”. Having gone thru this scenario for both of our Mom’s a few years ago...it just brings back too many unfond memories. I’m glad we’re thru that. I pity my kids.
Again, thank goodness for Goodwill, AmVets, Kidney Foundation, the auctioneers, etc.
"I’d say, ‘every weapon is a hate item. They’re all hate items.’” He says it’s for the love of history.
I disagree. If you love your freedom, then the weapons used to defend that freedom are not 'hate items'...
Saved
This is a common occurrence where I live.
Estate auctions almost every day. My wife likes to browse. They are depressing events to me.
We are collectors of stuff. The proverbial balls and chains that clutter your life.
I would rather collect experiences and memories.
Your comment is excellent and almost poetic. And so true.
I too recall my parent’s property sale. Some things that were up for sale I could not allow to go. The chipped candy dish my mom had, my dad’s draw knife and builders square, and most of all the tiered corner shelf that was always in our living room.
Thanks for raising such warm memories
Just finished selling Mom’s home and seeing to the estate sale (she is still with us, in a nursing home). Seventy three years of memories. Stacks of photo albums which I will bury, not throw away.
I’m the only one on Earth to whom any of that matters.
Wife & I took what we wanted for decor but we live in 1600 sq. ft. I’m on the north side of 70 and viewing estate sales is depressing anymore. All those huge collections and world travelings and the owner(s) are gone. We all follow the same pattern; live your life, acquire stuff & memories, grow old & then it’s the nursing home or suddenly expiring.
We’re throwing away stuff from our youthful days that no longer matter (we met & married late in life; divorcee & widower). A few mementos in the china cabinet, some guns in the den, but there’s no one to hand it on to (no children from either previous marriage).
And our friends who do have children, their kids aren’t interested in things like sterling silver, fine china, crystal, or any kind of antique. My small collection of antique pocket watches, chains & fobs would draw yawns from the iPhone generation.
This thread has been a real downer. But I leave it with two reassurances: hope & faith in God, and the absolute death of envy. Somebody’s got more stuff than me? Whoop-ti-doo.
Having recently downsized to an over-55 condo community, my wife and I have had the same experience. Our children took a few pieces of newer furniture we had in our house but wanted nothing in the way of relics or other items passed down. We got rid of pretty much everything because to tell you the truth, we didn't want all that stuff ourselves.
I also got rid of my extensive record/CD collection - now that everybody can stream any music on demand, no need to have that taking up space. Thanks to e-books, my library is scaled down to just a few bookcases in my new study. Our TV is now a flatscreen mounted on the living room wall with a few wireless speakers around the place to send music to.
Went from a 4,000 sq ft home to a 1,900 sq ft condo and it actually seems bigger in my new place because we took virtually nothing with us.
Whoa Death,,,
I completely agree
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.