In 2021 I had to do a whole house remediation for mold. In the process, the original handyman I used to clear out 'stuff' from the basement used my shopvac even though I told him not to because it was set up for water and had no filter in it. The furnace picked all the dust and blew it throughout the whole house requiring a total house cleaning.
In the process, I had to sort through old things I had been storing of my own 'stuff' and also all the assorted items that had accumulated from my parents and MIL ...and the things my two sons had left behind when they moved out on their own...and my husband who had passed away ten years previously. That was a huge job and very emotional. I had a dumpster in the parking area and the time was right to be ruthless in my purging and I was. So many things that no one would want, even a thrift store. Many things did make it to the local thrift shop but there were so many things they could not take because no one wanted coffee table books, etc anymore.
It was HARD sorting through the history of my life, my parents, my sons, and...my beloved husband. My sons took a few items but their houses are not huge so many things were left for the dumpster. Sigh. In the end I felt lighter and less burdened by everyone else's memories that were not really mine to keep for them any longer.
Wow! That's a lot, Judy! I think we have to be practical in our sorting and purging. Things that were useful at one time no longer fit our lifestyle. When I replaced the queen size bed my husband and I had used for more than 40 years, it was difficult. But I knew that in my new, widowed life, a double bed would serve me better. (Side note here: My autistic son put the frame of the bed together while I was at work. We moved the box spring and the mattress on when I got home. Allen said, as if he was a salesman, "I hope it gives you many years of restful sleep.")
It is so nice that your son put it together while you were away at work. It must have made the transition a little softer. When I was first widowed I had a queen sized bed (not sure what they call it in the US) and I changed out the mattress right away because it was soft and uncomfortable. It gave me some freshness in my life at that time. I use so many pillows for comfort for my neck and back issues that I take up most of the space in a queen...lol.!
The night Ron died I shoved our queensize bed against the wall and piled pillows up on my husband's side. It stayed that way for two years until I felt I was ready for a new bed.
In 2021 I had to do a whole house remediation for mold. In the process, the original handyman I used to clear out 'stuff' from the basement used my shopvac even though I told him not to because it was set up for water and had no filter in it. The furnace picked all the dust and blew it throughout the whole house requiring a total house cleaning.
In the process, I had to sort through old things I had been storing of my own 'stuff' and also all the assorted items that had accumulated from my parents and MIL ...and the things my two sons had left behind when they moved out on their own...and my husband who had passed away ten years previously. That was a huge job and very emotional. I had a dumpster in the parking area and the time was right to be ruthless in my purging and I was. So many things that no one would want, even a thrift store. Many things did make it to the local thrift shop but there were so many things they could not take because no one wanted coffee table books, etc anymore.
It was HARD sorting through the history of my life, my parents, my sons, and...my beloved husband. My sons took a few items but their houses are not huge so many things were left for the dumpster. Sigh. In the end I felt lighter and less burdened by everyone else's memories that were not really mine to keep for them any longer.
Wow! That's a lot, Judy! I think we have to be practical in our sorting and purging. Things that were useful at one time no longer fit our lifestyle. When I replaced the queen size bed my husband and I had used for more than 40 years, it was difficult. But I knew that in my new, widowed life, a double bed would serve me better. (Side note here: My autistic son put the frame of the bed together while I was at work. We moved the box spring and the mattress on when I got home. Allen said, as if he was a salesman, "I hope it gives you many years of restful sleep.")
It is so nice that your son put it together while you were away at work. It must have made the transition a little softer. When I was first widowed I had a queen sized bed (not sure what they call it in the US) and I changed out the mattress right away because it was soft and uncomfortable. It gave me some freshness in my life at that time. I use so many pillows for comfort for my neck and back issues that I take up most of the space in a queen...lol.!
The night Ron died I shoved our queensize bed against the wall and piled pillows up on my husband's side. It stayed that way for two years until I felt I was ready for a new bed.
I totally understand. Many do not. However, if they have lost a spouse they loved
, they do. The details may be different, but the essence of it is the same.