Gotta give credit

I've gotta give some credit to my mother, who recently moved to a one-bedroom apartment in a retirement plaza.  We are still cleaning out her house, sorting things to sell or give away or toss.  We hope to put the house on the market soon so we need to have the stuff inside of it cleared out. 

My little sister and I have been helping with the sort, along with my mom.  What I have found is that she is remarkably ready to part with the things that remain in her house, whether she wants to give it away or sell it, it doesn't matter.  Her apartment is furnished with her most special things and she is happy to see the rest take up special places in the homes of her children. 

I watched her look at items and say that this would be good for this person or that person, or she'll tell me where she got it and why it's special.  Occasionally she says she doesn't care who gets it but it shouldn't be sold because the item has such sentimental value or family history.  But I've never seen her torn over keeping or not keeping something for herself.  She is simply ready to give it up.

R and I were talking about it today and realized how "best case scenario" this situation is.  Once my mom made her decision she hasn't looked back.  We haven't had to talk her down or hold her hand or tell her again why things are this way.  She's just gone with it, which has made our job so much easier.  I am so grateful.

While she has some things that have some value, there are no Renoirs or Stickleys.  This means that most of what she has would sell for nominal amounts, but some of it holds immeasurable sentimental value for us.  And there are enough of those items to go around for every member of the family.  I feel so lucky.

Today I brought home a couple of things that were my grandmothers'.  Two crock bowls and a depression glass bowl.  Plus a small silhouette of a little girl playing laundry and hanging it on the line.  Mom said it hung in her mother's laundry room and later on when she got it she hung it in her laundry room too.  I hung it in my kitchen since my laundry room is in the basement (and isn't a room but an area).  And I'll think of my grandmas every time I see them.  How can that be anything but special?