Dear FlyLady,

I remember a testimonial from several years ago about a loving woman who passed on and all her possessions (keepsakes) fit into one box. The things she possessed were minimal but the relationships and love she shared with others was endless. This past weekend I was in a home with the mother and sister of a person who passed on with a house full of possessions, some things never used, some obvious junk that was just never thrown away and a few (like photographs and some furniture) keepsakes.

It was very sad to see this family struggle with the burden of this loss and the burden and confusion of all this STUFF.

So this February, I’m going to try very hard to fling as much as possible. I’m going to start asking myself, “If I could only have one box to leave behind, what would be in it?”

I never want my children to have to go through decades of receipts, mountains of paper clutter or try to figure out what to do with things I don’t use, love or really have a home for now much less whenever I pass on. When I do pass away, I don’t want my home to filled with tons clutter but tons of fun and loving memories and only a few keepsakes.

Thanks so much for having February be declutter habit month, clutter
accumulates every day and being reminded to only hold on to things we
love, use and have homes for is a great gift.

Love to you and all FlyBabies everywhere,

FlybabyM

FlyLady here: Here is the testimonial that FlyBaby M is referring to:

Dear FlyLady,

My elderly cousin died Wednesday night. I went to her funeral today. The church was packed. Everyone from teenagers to old people was grieving. The funeral singers couldn’t sing because of their grief. The preacher got choked up talking about her and almost couldn’t go on.

Everyone was talking about her many kindnesses, how she helped so many people, touched so many lives–in spite of various infirmities and having so little in the way of financial resources. I kept remembering how I always felt so welcome when I visited her in the house she shared with her sister, and how much I was going to miss knowing that welcome and encouragement was always there.

Then, her nephew got up to speak about her, and he mentioned that when they’d gone into her little bedroom, you could pack up every worldly possession she owned, and it would fit into the trunk of a normal size car…with space left over.

And I thought–ahh, so that was part of her secret. She lavished her time on all of us, instead of investing it in things.

Then I came home and read the Saturday FlyLady rant about our clutter sucking the life out of us, and agreed with all my heart. I believe there is a direct correlation between the clutter (of all kinds) in our lives and the good, kind things we never have the time to do.

I have a goal now that reaches beyond the occasional 27 fling boogie (although that’s a good start.) I’m wondering if it might be possible even for a packrat like me, to come to the end of my life with only enough possessions to fill the trunk of a car…but with a church and community packed with people whose lives I’ve touched.

Limping along, in Ohio

FlyLady again: Our habit this month is decluttering for 15 minutes a day.
You can join in and begin to clear away the stuff that you don’t need to leave for others to clear away.

Grab your decluttering kit and get started today.