I arrived at the home of a new client, an overwhelmed entrepreneurial mom (imagine that) with a small house and a busy family.  She was looking for ways to make everything fit and feel less closed in.  We worked our way through the house, room by room, and out to the garage where she just threw up her hands…”I don’t even know where to begin.”  Overwhelmed summed it up.

We went back into the living room to talk a little more and I noticed some items on a table in the corner of the living room that didn’t quite seem to fit with the rest of the things the family had; a cap, a stack of CD’s other random items.

When I asked her about them she teared up as she shared that they belonged to her younger brother who had passed away a year earlier.  We talked about ways to honor the memory of her brother while still living in the present space with her family. 

There are many times we will not let go of a loved one’s things because we think if we let go we are somehow dishonoring their memory or disrespecting their things.  Here are three points to consider when letting things go.

1.     Acknowledge that you are grieving a loss.  Remember the memories of the person resides within our hearts and minds and while it may make sense to keep an item or two it’s OK to let things go. 
2.     If your fear is that you’ll forget, save a few small items and photograph the rest.  Create a scrap book, photo collage or other creative way to display the photos.  Caution:  If you set the stuff aside for this purpose and don’t do anything with it, consider paying someone to create it or let it go.  Be willing to look at your resistance to let go and how that is serving your life today.
3.      Shift your perception – Allow yourself to send these items out into the universe to serve someone else.  Image the joy new shoes, clothes or tools can bring to someone who cannot afford to buy them new.

Live your life going forward and trust that your loved one would want the same for you!