Today I found myself standing in line, with a number card 40 in my hand, waiting to get into an Estate Sale....All of sudden it was 10am and all us standing in line, scurried into the 3 story home, and handed the guy at the front door our number card.
I have always had a "certain feeling" about estate sales, and today was only a confirmation.
As I was roaming around the house, from room to room, bumping into people, looking through someone else's life, all sorted out in different piles throughout the many rooms, I had an overwhelming, increasing sense of sadness.
An estate sale, most of the time, is because someone has passed, and this is what is left of their "life" they have left behind, for everyone to plow through. The saddest encounters for me, are when I find old photographs of the family.
I am setting the record straight for my children right now.... After your dad and I are gone, please take whatever you want, and give to my siblings and our friends what you think they might like.
There will be no estate sale from us. I won't have people, pawing through our lives, looking at half filled boxes of bandaids, shampoo bottles, bags of poise pads, toothpaste, towels, sheets, musty smelling clothes, dishes, costume jewelry, books I enjoyed, etc... Please children, do take all the pictures! They are our lives together, filled with many memories. Everything you don't give away or want, please take to the Goodwill.
Most of all, what your father and I want to leave with you, is a legacy to follow Jesus. All the other "stuff" that will be left is just "stuff".
1 comment:
AMEN Terry! once i even bought old family pictures at antique store along with an antique photo album. put the pictures in and gave them stories as some had names and events written on them. i felt so bad for those disconnected families that ended up in a box of misc picture at somebody's storefront. as we have reached retirement i have started giving "stuff" away now.
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