On the 26th, I arrived in Duluth, Minn, to help my dad prepare for a move. He will move in with my physician sister and her husband, who live in Michigan, not too far from Ann Arbor. There is a lot of stuff, and then, more stuff.
I spent the day with some cleaning, sorting, and taking breaks that are filled with reading for next week’s Bible teachings at Mount Carmel family camp in Alexandria, Minn. The morning was mostly in the kitchen, but I also pulled up a few of the floor rugs to reduce the tripping/fall hazard. My dad took a fall about 4 weeks ago (at the Walgreen’s parking lot), and his right hand is now in a cast. Fortunately, the fall wasn’t worse, as he hit his head with the fall, resulting in a wicked black eye and mashed glasses. We are glad there was no head injury or internal bleeding. So, I’ve been focused on reducing risks.
After dinner and a short nap for Dad, we tackled the refrigerator. It is drastically better, and I’m glad that one thing is put in good order and beautifully clean. Tomorrow, we’ll do the freezer.
My sisters have both spent time with the decluttering and sorting, as I did for a few last November after my mom died and a few more in January. My physician sister told me to make sure I stop to laugh, in order to help the coping with this herculean project. So, I share my moments of laughter.
This might make more sense in context. My maternal grandparents owned a jewelry store in Williston, No. Dak. So, there are collections of things from the store. Yes, it should read “Men’s odd rings.” (Which makes me think of the ELCA conference for missionaries each summer, which is called, “The Summer Missionary Conference,” which literally indicates that the people who attend are missionaries during the summer. Yes, it should be “The Missionary Summer Conference.” Right?)
To give you a sense of how much stuff is here, consider this example. This toilet-paper tube art has a note inside written by my mother, “Faith, Original idea & own effort: Oct. 1968.” Yes, we are approaching the 50th anniversary of this toilet paper tube. In 1968, my family lived in Hong Kong. Subsequent moves included, St. Paul, Minn.; Hingham, Mont.; Proctor, Minn.; Erskine, Minn.; Woodland Ave, in Duluth, Minn.; and finally, Mississippi Ave, in Duluth, Minn.. This toilet paper tube made 6 moves.
Anyone have expert ideas on how to downsize books? There is no Half Price Books for selling and recycling in Duluth. There are probably 1,000 books just in this one bedroom!
The Swedes have a word that literally means “death cleaning.” When parents become empty-nesters, they are culturally encouraged to downsize and minimalize. I totally support this!
Finally, Anya has learned that she does not like to stay in hostels. Her first experience had 18 people in one room, and half of them came back drunk after midnight. Then others had their alarms going off before 6 am. So, she is tired which magnifies other travel frustrations–like someone absolutely incorrectly accusing her of ticket fraud. So, pray for a good night’s sleep, and a good, joyous day tomorrow.
With blessings,
Beth