Reminders of lives lived

I’ve got to say that clearing out a house of stuff that’s been around your whole life is very, very weird. I’m not exactly a nostalgic person so I’m not really sad about any of it. They’re just things, but they all represent people long gone or moving on to other stages of their life.

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of getting rid of items my mom has owned since she got married and left home in the early 1950s. Then she added on a ton more. Much of it I’ve seen in every day use since I was a kid and I’m in my mid-50s now.

Most of it is too well-used to pass on (who wants cookware beat to hell over 6-7 decades of use?). I have taken a few pieces. Some have gone to my kids. My sister has taken a few pieces. The stuff that can be donated or given away has been. The rest has had to go in the trash.

It’s a whole life full of stuff that the person it belonged to doesn’t remember now because of a stroke. She won’t ask questions about it. I guess that makes it easier on the one hand and extremely difficult on the other. It’s a situation I never thought I’d be in but here we are.

This chapter of my life will close next Tuesday with the closing of the house sale. It will be a huge burden off my shoulders and frankly I am looking forward to that day. That said there is still something a bit bittersweet about it. Again - finding myself in such a strange place. Next week I’ll see a huge burst of relief, but also a bit of sadness.