We still cannot homeschool full time due to the recent death in the family and its aftermath. There are many tasks we have to do and this is the time to do it. Nothing can wait.
Our daughter next to our truck, full of donations for the Food Ministry Second Hand Store
One day at a time, we wake up, discuss the situation, and decide which subjects we can tackle and which subjects we can leave for Christmas break. We already see ourselves doing some school through the end of December and the beginning of January.
Just to give you an idea, we filled up seven construction dumpsters with trash only. We also filled up my husband’s truck (eight-foot bed) nine times with boxes and contractor trash bags. He took it to Sevier County Food Ministries, as they have a second hand store. We are talking about clothes, figurines, dishes, vases, pottery, paintings, shoes, bags, jewelry etc.
Lessons galore
I found a family in Knoxville who came to pick up the piano. We gave it to them for free. My husband and his sister learned to play on that piano 40 years ago. We really have no use for it because we have our own.
My husband found a local ministry who could use the furniture. We moved most of the furniture into the garage so it would be easier for them to pick it up.
Between all this packing and meeting with Realtors and painters, we have been kept busy. And we still have a funeral to go to. Never a dull moment.
Let’s just say we are learning about life and what we leave behind when we die. The kids are picking up lessons and so are we, their parents. Every week, we collect boxes full of our own “stuff” from our house that we donate.
If we buy anything new, something old has to come out. We have been traumatized into letting go of junk. It is ridiculous how much “stuff” there is in an American home.
I’m so sorry for your family’s loss of a dear family member, as well as for the massive sorting tasks that have been laid on you.
Our situation is on the receiving end of such a situation: we recently moved to France with just our luggage of clothes and shoes, but after a few months of staying in a temporary rental home, God has opened the door for us to rent a long term home that has far more in it than we imagined. It was the home of a 90-year-old woman who passed away quite suddenly of Covid in early 2020, and her daughter has now made it available to us. I am sorting through the rooms and items, many of which are from the early 50s. While there are many items that need to be sold or given away with the owner’s permission, I’m still grateful for God’s amazing provision for our family, having come with so little. It’s been a reminder to me that things are just things, and we can’t take them with us. We absolutely need to be alert to the needs of others, proactive in sharing what others can use, and judicious in eliminating an accumulation of possessions that ultimately costs someone else their precious time which cannot be regained.
Wow. So glad you received such a gift. And moving to France… oo lah lah! 🙂 You are living my dream. 🙂