We had my mother-in-law’s “estate sale” last weekend. I dreaded the entire ordeal from start to finish. She lived with us the last six months of her life and to put a value on her life based on her accumulation of stuff was beyond the pale. I was so afraid that a small deposit in a bank account was going to the sum and total of eight-five years of living. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was so desperately trying to hold on to my part of her past. The truth of the matter is; none of that stuff was ever mine. Piece by piece, as each item was taken from the house; I was able to release the clutches all that stuff had on me. I learned that holding to the past is not the same as reliving her memories. When all the stuff was gone, the memories of Betty reached their full potential. Now, as I think back, all I remember is Betty and her persona. The stuff that is gone was never in my memories to begin with. The stuff is gone. I am better and the memories of Betty are even sweeter.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:21:47 +0000