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Sorting Through the Mama's Stuff

The Mama and Two-month-old Me at Our Favorite Picnic Spot in Monterey

The Mama was 94 years old when she slipped into eternity. So, of course she left lots and lots and LOTS of stuff behind. Lucky me. I get to go through it all and decide what to keep, throw away, reuse, recycle, give away, or possibly sell. 

I was about to say that it's easy to figure out what to do with some things. It's not.

The other day I found an envelope on which the Mama printed Susie One Year Old. Inside the envelope was a bunch of my one-year-old self's hair.

What am I going to do with that?


It's time for ABC Wednesday, hosted by Roger Green and the ABCW team, which was started by Mrs. Nesbitt nine years ago. To join in and/or check out other participants, please click here.


Comments

  1. I know Susie! It's really hard. My mother was 94 when she died -- and yes -- I understand perfectly what you are going through. (I felt guilty everything I threw away. Whereas my own stuff goes without a thought.)

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    Replies
    1. I was freaking out about her religious artifacts. I didn't like the idea of throwing them away or donating them to even the Catholic run thrift shop in town. Then, I read online that local parishes may take them and give them away. So, that's what I'm going to do. Thank goodness.

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  2. i would frame it!

    Have a nice abcwednes-day / - week
    ♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
    ( http://melodymusic.nl/abc-wednesday-18-s/ )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a possibility, Melody. Thanks for the suggestion.

      Delete
  3. I scanned the envelope with my mom's handwriting for my hair and then threw it away. No one is going to want to have to sort this stuff when I'm gone.

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    Replies
    1. That's what I keep telling myself. I have no kids to dump this all on. :-)

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  4. Cherish every photo, make an album!
    Ann

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    Replies
    1. LOL The photos are from the Mama's albums. I do cherish them, for sure.

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  5. Hope you have peace about what to keep and what to send along it's way.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ellen. I'm setting aside clothes that I don't want anyone else to wear, but I don't want to dump them. Something will pop up.

      Delete
  6. DNA adventure?

    Either way - so much to discover - and YOU are exactly the perfect person - for lots of reasons . . One of those reasons??? All the STORIES . . Story Treasures . . every one filled with love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cloning? hahaha

      Come to think of it, every little thing has love even the things that we think are horrible.

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    2. You = makin' my heart happy . . .

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  7. You must have cried a little when you saw what she kept. I did when I found my hair when I was a baby and when I was a little older. As well. Moms are such sweet souls

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I did. I also found my little sister's hair. I cried, too, more so for the pain of her death for the Mama.

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  8. Oh, I don't know. Take a picture of the hair with your mom's writing then you can throw away the hair?
    Nice picture of you two.
    http://www.36hourworkweek.com/2016/05/s-is-for-starbucks.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good for you for pushing forward with going through your mum's stuff. It keeps you in touch with her in a way that I would find comforting at this time. You've made me think though - I have such little envelopes with bits of my children's hair. I don't need them and my children don't need to worry about what to do with them someday. Out they go!

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes comforting. Sometimes not when I get overwhelmed with everything. I'm glad you said that you'll be throwing out your children's hair, Pondside. You give me a mom's perspective, and one I want to hear. An idea is brewing -- maybe a collage of some of the Mama's stuff including this bit of hair. We shall see.

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  10. I think it would be a shame to throw the hair away - maybe you could have it made into some jewellery you can wear? This is a UK site - http://www.shpangle.co.uk/Lock_of_Hair.php - but it'll give you some ideas, and there must be places in your own country doing a similar thing.

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    Replies
    1. That's an interesting idea, Eunice. I'm not much of a jewelry wearing person though.

      Delete
  11. I was going to suggest taking a pic, but Carin beat me to it. :) ... love the Mini Susieee. :)

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    Replies
    1. I can't get over how I was already half of her height. Such a handful I was from the start. lol

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  12. Hey, you should pass your hair onto SOMEONE ELSE!
    ROG, ABCW

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that would be a mischievous thing to do. :-)

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  13. I left my husband's things until we moved. Then I sorted through most of them, but some I still kept. Just last night I was cleaning out my closet and decided to donate my mother's coat. She died in 2001, but I kept it in case I ever needed a winter coat. I think I wore it once. It doesn't get cold enough here. Right now it's in the donate bag, but I'm still thinking about it and might keep it yet. I kind of do that...I go back and forth. One thing I have is a memory box. I've written about it on my blog. I think that's what you need. If it was me I'd leave the lock of hair in the envelope and put it in the memory box. I have all sorts of little stuff like that and every so often I sit down and go through the box. I keep it right on the coffee table in the den.

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    Replies
    1. I think that when I've finally gone through all of the Mama's stuff, I will have a refrigerator size box full of memories!

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  14. I just thought of something else. I have an antique coat rack in the den. On it I have my husband's Houston Texans jacket, my dad's Chicago White Sox jacket, my son's high school jacket, etc. It's kind of a memory coat rack.

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    Replies
    1. I love that, Betty. I have something similar with hats, except they hang from pins.

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Thanks for the good cheer. :-)

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