06/07/2026
My dad's attic....
Why do we never talk about these things?! I have a couple of customers who have been or are going through similar things. It has been good to talk to them, share experiences, to realise our feelings are normal.
As you may or may not be aware, I unexpectedly lost my dad towards the end of last year, actually the day after my son's birthday...great timing!!! I am very much aware death has no considerations for these things and works to it's own timetable. My mum, we also lost very unexpectedly in 2019.
My brothers and I now have the task of emptying the house, a house that our parents lived in for over 40 years, oh, and mum was a hoarder and so was dad in later years (apparently this is quite common for someone who has co-morbidities)!
After 7 months, we ventured into the attic. My older brother and I couldn't put it off any longer! My brother was confident it would all be empty boxes, I on the other hand, didn't share his optimistic views.
There were some empty boxes but 90% are not! The first thing I picked up was a gift bag from my mums 60th. The presents I had brought her were all in there, along with wrapping paper from other presents, banners, cards and the empty envelopes. There was a part of me that was hurt (and angry) about the presents but I have to remind myself that mum was a hoarder which is a disorder and to try not to take it personally.
Each box, bag has to be sorted through, we can't just bin everything without looking as there is no logic to how the boxes are pack, things we remember mixed with things that we've never seen. While we are not expecting to find treasures, there are the sentimental items. In one box was a present gifted to my brother when he was one from our grandparents...he didn't even know of the presents existence. My brother is in his 50's and our grandparents passed away before I was born. We have very little from our grandparents so I guess that is a treasure in some way ✨️
It's a very cathartic process just one box at a time...
