Photos by Kristen Tomkowid
Photos by Kristen Tomkowid
The Claw!
I'm afraid that a few things that were my mom or dad's will probably be given away to strangers or to the junkyard......because the kids really do not want a lot of stuff.....can't blame them....
I’m in the final steps of leaving the country and have been liquidating all my possessions but for a few suitcases and boxes, particularly the past two months. I’ve jokingly told family this is like having an estate sale and I’m the deceased. I’ve literally given away so many things that have some personal meaning as well as a lot of junk I’ll never miss.
What’s liberating is two things - 1) from here on, I won’t be dragged down by tons of possessions, especially furniture, clothes and vehicles and 2) when my time does come, I’ve made it a heck of lot easier for my executor.
I remember Jesus’ words about giving up everything to come follow Him and it does feel very real at times. I’m not unhappy though. So many of these things I can live without.
Awesome read.
Just cleaned out my sisters-in-law’s place. 90% of her stuff went into dumpster. Her “treasures” were NOT treasures accept to her. That’s the way it is most times.
My mother will be 89. In a nursing home since my father died. Owned 2 homes, all full of furniture etc., and a couple cars. Her earthly possessions NOW could fit in a small suitcase.
Hey, everybody! Listen to me. I am morally superior! Aren't I special?
bmfl
My children have already put in claims for the pieces of furniture they want when I pass. Now the grandchildren are putting in their requests. I’m happy they want their grandmother’s cherished possessions.
We just went up to Montana to go through my father-in-law’s house and hold an estate sale. So much of his stuff was worthless, and he held on to everything.
I took some of his wife’s stuff, since she was a seamstress and I am planning to open a craft shop once I retire. There was a tiny old barbecue that was adorable, which I pointed out to my son and husband to bring home if it did not sell, but it sold. Father-in-law made wood decorations with a scroll saw; my husband took the saw and patterns, intending to teach himself as his father taught himself.
We did sell enough to cover the cost of the dumpster and then some, which was our goal.
My sister-in-law kept saying that she does not want to leave a mess like that for her kids to deal with. I completely agree. It is time to ditch the junk. Especially now, as I prepare to retire and we are getting ready to move to Texas.
This was a good article, poignant, blissfully free of the political vile that the left is bombarding us with every day.
Thanks for posting. I’ll have to read this later. My MIL died a month ago and FIL is in a home. Their house in up for sale and still a ton of stuff in it. Kids took what they wanted. I told my FIL I felt like a raider. He just said, “well, where else is it going to go?”. He doesn’t miss his stuff; he misses his dear wife.
It’s only money and stuff and you can’t take it with you when you die. If you could, it would burn.
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.
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.
We also bought a rental house that was owned by an obsessive-compulsive hoarder with stuff left in it and had to sort through all of it to get rid of stuff. And then we retired to my wife's grandparents' homestead and have spent eight years cleaning out the house, barns, and sheds out of stuff that never got thrown away because they lived in the country with no garbage pick-up. So my wife and I have plenty of experience doing this.
Most people as they get older, accumulate things. They don't get rid of stuff as they get older because it is a burden and takes hard work and energy they don't have. So most estates are chocked full of things from people's lives.
Over the years we have picked up some nice antique furniture and keepsakes. We find jewelry, money, coins, and things that are worth something if sold.
We've kept the nice things we wanted and sold most of the rest at estate sales or on Craigslist. Some advice, never have a garage sale to get rid of stuff in these situations. Always have an "estate" sale because it automatically draws twice as many people who seem to buy anything and everything.
My wife and I have moved a lot in our lives, being in the military and changing jobs and locales over the years. Moving provides a good opportunity to trim the sails each time of unwanted, excess items that one accumulates. Our last move to this homestead in Florida, gave us another chance to unload our lives of baggage we don't need.
But we both realize that most of what we have, is not of interest to our kids or others. It's just stuff. We love antiques but our kids don't. We have boxes and boxes of old photos before digital became the norm. Almost all of them will be thrown out in a dumpster one day when we're gone. Because who is going to want them or appreciate them? Nobody.
I remember talking to the neighbor across the street from my dad after he died. I was at my dad's house trying to sort through all the stuff he and my mom had left in their home. He had a workshop filled with tools and hardware and materials.
The neighbor said he asked my dad one time what he was going to do with all that stuff they had in the house, workshop and yard. He said my dad told him, "I'm not going to do anything with it. I'll let the kids worry about what to do with it after we're gone".
And that he did.
We are slowly getting rid of stuff...it helps that we helped special 95 year old cousins move to Assisted living a couple years ago. I cherish 2 wine glasses and some slotted Spoons they gave us. Have been going thru mean MIL house as she is in assisted living for 2 years...found a 200 year old teacup and saucer with its story written in tape on bottom. Also a few things of her mother’s we have removed. Beyond that, 3600sf of mostly stuff...anyone interested in a salt cellar collection?
We sold our House.
We had a few Garage Sales and ended up giving away a bunch of stuff to people who didn’t have much money and to Charity.
When the Movers showed up, we had more than we estimated. We ended up paying more to move the stuff than we planned and even gave the some of the spillover to a Neighbor.
Now that we are at our new location, my Wife is going through the Boxes and giving more stuff to Charity.
After clearing out all the junk my Father held on to until his Death I had no desire to accumulate things, yet here we were. Things I swore I wouldn’t leave behind turn into things that aren’t worth the trouble.
What’s the old saying, if you haven’t touched something in over a year, get rid of it.
For later.