My
phone chimed, indicating a new Facebook alert. Quick downward swipe
of my fore finger and there it was, notice that the Mary and Baby
Jesus planter had a new home! Relieved, a smile enveloped my face
knowing that: one, I managed to keep this item out of a landfill;
and, two, a piece of my mom and dad would live on in the home of
neighbors who know the meaning of “it takes a village”. The
expression “you cannot take it with you” has never had
more impact on me than it did at the moment I read that comment. You
die, but your stuff remains. And then the question, where will it
all go?
Her
final breath came on a Sunday, two days after Valentine's Day. One
audible exhale akin to sinking into a warm bath, and my mother's
earthly days came to an end. It took a few moments for the reality
to sink in. She was gone. Both of my parent's were now gone. At age
40 I was an orphan. Sobs finally arrived, having been stoic during
her final months, as her body clearly shut down but not her spirit.
The polar vortex of 2014 held on firmly that month, and not until its
release in late Spring was I able to tackle the TPP.
The
what you ask? The TPP. Not only am I her daughter, but I am her
estate planning and probate attorney / daughter. TPP is the lingo we
use in my line of work to refer to her stuff. Her items, anything
from a wedding ring to piano. And after the initial waves of grief
washed over me, with the memorial service behind me, and her ashes
comfortably settled in the plot next to my dad, was I able to fully
face the reality of emptying the ranch house at 1121 Valley Stream
Dr. Their abode for 38 years, one that held family heirlooms, garage
sale finds that may or may not be antiques worthy of Antiques
Roadshow, 8th grade insect collections, bag upon bag
of canceled checks from the auto business they owned in the 1970s to
1990s, and mildewed junk that should have been tossed decades
earlier. It was a new mountain to face.
The
Unitarian Universalist in me advocated for recycling as much stuff as
possible. “Empty the jars of applesauce from 1979 and keep
those canning jars out of the landfill”, the voice in my head
would shout! Another voice, the frugal one, saw value, even minute
value in each item. Hey, I could sell this for $2 on Craigs List.
And then there was the exhausted lawyer who happens to be a wife of
a business owner and mother of a 5 and 3 year old arguing for the
most time-efficient manner for emptying the house and getting it
market-ready.
It was
a mixture of all three who prevailed in emptying the house. Lessons I walked away with were:
- Hire someone with time and drive to post items on Craigs List, offering them 50% of the earnings. Requirement, you must trust the person. I am amazed at what a little motivation can do to empty a home – and what others are willing to buy!
- Know when to call in the Pros and pay for their expertise. When the basement tiles and adhesive tested positive for asbestos the “country club” ways of my husband kicked in. We hired a firm, bonded and licensed to address the mess. An email requesting me to mail a key said “part of my fee is to make this as easy for you as possible”. To which I simply wrote, “thank you”;
- Donate to charity. Yes, I'd be happy to take a tax deduction for 2014 on the TPP I inherited. Pack it, load it and drop it off, or call for a pick-up. Either way, get a receipt for the CPA; and
- Give it away. Save your time and the earth, list it for free. I spent very little time hauling items out of the basement, set them outside the garage and listed them (with photos) on social media. People love something for free, and wow did things relocate.
Rehoming the TPP is now complete. The Mary and Baby Jesus planter now resides in the sunroom of the neighbors who cared so much, and I am ready to move on to the next phase in this life cycle event.
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