Thanks for the Memories
This week’s blog is from a guest.
It is not the “stuff’ that is hard to let go of; it’s the meaning they hold for us. My mom had a special way of discarding her items while maintaining the memories and a great feeling.
As the first physiotherapist at the Canadian Arthritis Society when it first opened in the 1940’s in B.C, she had photos, a set of exercise drawings used at the time, newspaper articles relating to the opening, etc. When it was time for her to downsize, she sent these items back to the Arthritis Society which was delighted to receive them. They sent her a wonderful thank you letter which she appreciated and kept as a souvenir.
Other ideas :
- Old theatre programs can be mailed back to the theatre with a note about your experience.
- Membership cards or programs from past events, associations, and clubs may be of value to the club for their archives.
- Many schools would gladly accept the history you are providing with old books, uniforms, yearbooks, etc. and would be very happy to have them.
- Were you in the armed services? The local Legion or Veterans group may be glad to receive memorabilia from your time there.
- Postcards or placemats from restaurants? If the restaurant still exists, send them back with a little note about your great experience. They may even put it up on their wall.
When you are moving a senior, suggest this strategy to them. Knowing that someone or some group receives your memorabilia with gratitude will help to ease their sense of loss.
As promised, we’ve updated our Decluttering Checklist to include the additions from this week’s blog. If you have any suggestions we can add, please feel free to send them to us and we will try and post them.
