Two of our worlds are colliding.
Mom and dad are downsizing from their Independent Living apartment into a much smaller, two room Assisted Living unit. And, we are preparing for that move.
Dad was less than a month short of his fourth birthday on Black Friday in 1929. His childhood was defined by the Great Depression. Mom was born during the Depression in a family that would have been poor even in good times.
They are not hoarders. Everything about them has always been tidy and well organized but they have always found it hard to throw possessions away. And, so, they have, literally, tons of stuff. Day by day, Evie brings more of it to our place where it is being stored until we and the rest of the family can decide what to do about it.
And our small condo is so overstuffed that we can't host a gathering.
So, the plan is to offer to take the core of the Sunday group for an early lunch at our expense. The people from the home are so glad to eat anything other than institutional food that they are always pleased on these days.
A few others may come to join us at their own expense.
We used to try to take the Bread and the Cup on these occasions but I, at least, have concluded that it's too hard to do in a way that is not unworthy, so we no longer even try.
Evie and I are both so tired that we'd be happy not to do even this.
We will do our best to fulfill the purpose of gatherings and attempt to spur one another on to love and good works, but it will be an effort.
I rent quite a lot of self-storage to people in just your situation, Bill. Honestly, most people never get around to going through the stuff once they put it in storage though. However I think it does at least give some peace of mind to the "kids" so they don't have to make whatever decision in a moment of haste. Just something to think about. Blessings.
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ReplyDeleteWe are all trying to metaphorically sort this out, Dan. At this point, my idea is that, after the move is accomplished, we will all get together and take for ourselves a few items that either are useful or hold sentimental value and, then, call an auctioneer to haul it away, for a relatively small fee, and then give us a small percentage of its worth after the auction. This will take a few months to accomplish but we probably can survive here for that long.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have returned from our Restaurant Retreat and it was one of the nicest ever. Most of the people from the home have terrible table manners and that can be a touch embarrassing in a public setting. Either we are so accustomed to it or today they weren't so bad. One of them is extremely high maintenance for the server and he was again today but the server was very patient.
ReplyDeleteBecause we do this sort of thing fairly regularly, we are known at this restaurant for what we do. Today's waitress served us at least one time previously. It felt as if she appreciated what we were doing and participated with us in this act of mercy.
All in all, this was a good day. And, much more than usual, I feel blessed for participating in this gathering.