Let Go of Stuff
A kindness lesson from my Mom
On my brother’s birthday in 2015, my mom died at Mooring Park memory care facility in Florida. She never came home to the things she had lovingly accumulated over the years. Closets of clothing, her memories, her stories.
The year before, I flew from California to Florida and cleaned out her things. New shoes, still in boxes, 3 sets of china (one unpacked), vintage bottles of wine that had been stored upright, 3 jars of mint jelly in the frig, the dress she wore to my 1970 wedding, dozens of elbow length gloves, an old mink coat, handbags in meticulous rows on shelves, three dressers of fabric on bolts.
It was an overwhelming volume of stuff.
I pitched, or set things aside for my brother or me or the grandchildren. I cried, being alone and throwing away someone else’s lifetime.
Her jewelry was easier to sort through. Her live-in ‘helper’ had helped herself to most of it, which we discovered, a little too late.
Later, my brother photographed the furniture, the artwork, everything left and put it on Dropbox for the grandkids to choose family memories. They selected almost nothing.
Guilt kept me from letting go. Chinese prints, antique Imari , water colors from Indian markets, French toile chairs, oriental rugs. This became my home’s decor.
One evening, as I stared at three oriental prints that I never liked, I realized that my Mom’s inability to let things go, was actually a lesson in Kindness.
Let go of the stuff.
No one else really wants it.
Ask them what they want while you are still living, and then, let the rest go.
No closets to clean out, no mint jelly to throw away. Just fond memories to leave behind that don’t take up too much room.
May your life be filled with Kindness 💜
Heather Johnston Brebaugh
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You made me think of a beautiful song by Michael Card, “The Things We Leave Behind.”
There sits Simon, so foolishly wise
Proudly, he's tending his nets
And Jesus calls and the boats drift away
And all that he owns he forgets
But more than the nets he abandoned that day
He found that his pride was soon drifting away
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Matthew was mindful of taking the tax
And pressing the people to pay
But hearing the call, he responded in faith
And followed the Light and the Way
And leaving the people so puzzled, he found
The greed in his heart was no longer around
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Every heart needs to be set free
From possessions that hold it so tight
'Cause freedom's not found in the things that we own
It's the power to do what is right
With Jesus, our only possession
And giving becomes our delight
And we can't imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
We show a love for the world in our lives
By worshipping goods, we possess
And Jesus says, "Lay all our treasures aside
And love God above all the rest"
'Cause when we say no to the things of the world
We open our hearts to the love of the Lord
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
And when we say no to the things of the world (when we say no)
We open our hearts to the love of the Lord (love of the Lord)
And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
Oh, and it's hard to imagine the freedom we find
From the things we leave behind
The small details of a life that make up the person. That must have been heartbreaking yet in the moment you saw a lesson. ❤️🙏