Oct17

>THE CHORE NO ONE WANTS

by Andy Crash Connell on October 17, 2008 at 4:07 pm

>Eight years ago, my mother wanted to move back to Texas from Virgina. She was living with my brother Danny. They were moving to Utah. Danny put mom’s things in storage. My brother Jay’s wife (at the time) Teresa pulled some strings and spent some dough to get mom set up in a nice retirement community here in Killeen. My mom loved her new home until the day she died in June, 2006.

My mom begged me on numerous occasions to get her other things out of storage in Oklahoma. I put it off because I didn’t want to put it in storage down here… she just didn’t have the room in her new place. She was a pack-rat and already had enough “new” belongings. She never got mad about it, but I know she missed her things.

The storage items were stored in my name, so my brothers, or anyone else could go get her things… only me.

I never did. She passed without being able to see her things one last time.

I feel rotten about it to this day. Always will.

Storage fees in Oklahoma are going up to an unreasonable rate so… (deep breath)… I’m making the trip this weekend to look her things over and bring them back. The things worth bringing back. Danny tells me it’s mostly mom’s “sentimental junk” and can be tossed out.

I’m not ready to go through each box. But I’ve cleaned out my garage here and bringing her stuff “home”. I’m positive that I will feel even worse that it won’t be a major investment of time to do it and will just add another notch of guilt and sorrow for not doing it much, much sooner.

And the $720 per year I have been spending since 2000 sure doesn’t make me feel better either.

Yes. I’m feeling like a loser all over again today. I’ve managed to put it in the back of my mind since the storage fees were being deducted from my bank account. I sure could use that $5,700 I’ve thrown away. And for what? The inevitable chore no one wants. To clean out your dead parent’s belongings.

OH, there is an upside that I’ve also kept in the back of my mind. Mom has collected everything she’s owned since her days in Germany and America, since the mid 1950’s. My dad tells me that she has some very valuable jewelry, WWII items, Nuremberg transcripts that her father did when he was a translator, vintage porcelain dolls, furs, etc.

No matter what the value, I am not looking forward to selling them off.
Share
└ Tags: