I spent a good portion of this past week at my now unoccupied home in Georgia. It’s up for sale and I continue to clean out the garages. The “downside” of a third garage is that there is more opportunity to store and thus hang on to items. It’s a museum of memories, a curated archive of items collected from two homes owned by my parents (who never tossed anything apparently), siblings, other relatives and the home that Rich and I shared for 25 years in New Jersey. I recently counted 9 real estate transactions that required my attention in 6 years covering 4 states. I’ve learned alot on many levels.

When we moved from New Jersey in 2020, I was advised to get quotes from several movers. We chose a local family-run moving business in Brick, NJ and I remember the man who came to assess our moving needs telling me that most people spend alot of money moving things they’ll most likely never unpack.

“Choose wisely,” he advised.

I liked his honesty and with his fair quote of moving our “stuff” (less than some major chain movers) and furniture from NJ to GA, he was hired. That was a $10k plus move and we even ended up additionally using PODS and UHaul. Moving ‘aint cheap, so it’s true, try to lessen your haul from the start.

But, I still can’t quite “get rid” of so many personal belongings. I am the end-of-the-line for family heirlooms as I’ve previously written. I’ve now given myself permission to take a sampling of family and Rich-related items. Yet, it’s still alot and I find myself now pricing 12 X 24 foot sheds for my home in Northeast Florida to continue the curation.

I’ve also shared before that Rich has a certain “play list” for me when I’m driving. The other day when I pulled up to that house the first distinctive notes of Bon Jovis’s Living on a Prayer filled the car as on cue. Sometimes it will be playing on three stations at once and then again at a restaurant or other place upon my arrival or I’ll be serenaded by a muzak version in an airport lavatory.

We weren’t necessarily huge Bon Jovi fans despite our Jersey roots, buy hat song just happens to “appear” so often I now just sing along and accept it as a “hello” from Rich.

 “We’ve gotta hold on to what we’ve got…”

“NO, we don’t,” I talk back to the radio.

I used to tell Rich that I knew he was going to leave me with all his stuff to deal with.

“Most likely,” he’d say with a laugh.

And so it goes. With each trip from my current home in Florida, I’m able to donate more to Goodwill or Salvation Army, leaving with tears in my eyes. With each visit, our former home improves and I know it will be a beautiful haven for its future occupants. It’s hard to let go and I think it holds on to me. Housing two different tenants over the past two years, I tell that house it’s now time to let go and thank it for what it meant to my late husband and I.

On Thursday, I had the honor of participating in a first-ever Zoom meeting of Widow’s Voice bloggers. Arranged by Blog Manager, Mary Moore, it was meant as a way for us to get to know each other and share our widowed stories and the reasons we write weekly for Soaring Spirits, International. Mary thanked us for writing each week even thought it can be difficult and told us how valuable our posts are to readers.

That was so uplifting to hear. While recently searching online resources for the widowed, I came upon a citing from Trellis Counseling & Co. PLLC listing the Top Ten resources for the widowed. It placed Soaring Spirits as number one further sharing that the Widow’s Voice blog is, ‘The largest collection of blogs written by widowed people.” I might add, in the entire world.

With SSI’s membership now grown into the millions in the USA and internationally, it’s a humble experience to be one of seven chosen to be a voice for them and those in need of hope and direction from those sharing their own unique widowed paths in their own words. I hope you can find some comfort in my story and those of Grace (Sunday’s blogger) and Emily, Dianne, Liliana, Gary, Sherry and of course me on here each Saturday.

As for my “Moving Story” those Bon Jovi lyrics give me hope that all will go well and my prayers to St. Joseph will be answered soon and my former home will sell quickly. It’s been a moving marathon, but I know I’ve been fortunate to have called these beautiful places home, and I’m halfway nearer to a semblance of “closure”.

“Whoa, we’re halfway there, Whoa oh, livin’ on a prayer…”