Did You Love It? A Tale of Knick-Knacks and Mementos

Many of our clients are older adults ranging from downsizers and empty nesters to moving into assisted living facilities.

A few months ago I worked with a woman who fell somewhere in the middle. She lived alone, although had a friend who she wanted to move closer to and didn’t need all the space she currently had. She chose to move into an older adult community.

We needed to pare her possessions down from a three-bedroom to a one-bedroom, with office and balcony! Going through the books was easy, the kitchen items—no problem—she even decided quickly on shoes and clothing. Until we started looking at her knick-knacks and little mementos she had collected through-out the years. This was when she didn’t know what to do.

The items all meant something to her; she remembered just about every circumstance when they were given to her or where she had bought this or that. I took one vase down from her shelf and gave it to her. She held it for a long time and finally said, "This was given to me with such love. All of these were given to me with such love and I feel guilty even thinking that I do not want them anymore."

We sat for another few moments. She was still looking down at the vase when softly I said, "Did you love it? Did you get all the love out of it that it was wished for you to get?" The next moment I will never forget. She looked right at me, eyes brighter than I had seen all day and she said, "Yes I have, and maybe by me donating it another person will see it and give it to their loved one with wishes of so much love."

From that point on, she kept the things she really wanted and was able to donate the rest.

Simple but not easy.

www.Uleaveittolisa.com