UP-SIZING and DOWN-SIZING

          When you get to a certain age - or stage, in your life - you start looking back and you start wondering where did all that "stuff" come from?  "Stuff" everywhere.  In every nook and cranny.  Hidden behind doors, in plain sight on every conceivable surface.  Drowning in "stuff".

          Am going to give you a thumbnail sketch before I start on this.  When my husband Tom and I married, we had my stuff, his stuff, my kid's stuff, his kid's stuff, his Mother's stuff (as she lived with Tom).  We had to decide whether we would live in his house or my house.  We decided on his house.  then the fun began.

          For weeks there was sorting, a truckload from my house went to his house, then a truckload went from his house to my house.  We had decided to have an auction at my house as it would go up for sale.  So back and forth, truck always loaded, I can imagine what the few neighbors thought as they saw the same truck going back and forth, and always full.

          Finally the day of the auction.  What a blast, but we got rid of all that "stuff", even got paid for getting rid of it.  And some of the things that were bought I wouldn't have given to my worst enemy, but who knows?

          We settled in.  Tom's oldest daughter Linda was already married, but we had his son Jerry and my son Michael, both same age, so we got an immediate set of twins.  Then my middle child Andy and my youngest Rebecca.  With them, Tom's Mother, Tom and me we had a houseful.  But it was a houseful of love and laughter, good times and bad, but always worth the effort.

          The kids all grew up, started their lives, getting married.  We had two weddings in our back yard, Rebecca's and Michael's.  Reception following.
By this time Linda lived in Arizona and had children of her own.  Her  daughter Rachael flew back with Linda for Rebecca's wedding, (she was 12) and she said when she went home that she wanted me to do her wedding).  When Rachael married, Tom, Jerry and I flew to Arizona, and I was in charge of overseeing much of the reception.  Guess her wish came true.

          Finally there was Tom, Jerry and me, as Tom's mother had passed away several years before.  We had 4 acres of ground with house and 4 car garage adjoining a rather large farm.  Jerry wanted more land.  He was negotiating with the local farm-owner to purchase 10 additional acres when our real estate agent told him about this 160 acre farm that had just gone up for sale.  Jerry had never married, was engaged once, but she decided to go elsewhere. 

          After much discussion Tom and I put our place up for sale, with the intent that if it sold, the money would be used for a down-payment on the farm.    And that we would have life-time residency on this farm.  I guess we were meant to move, as our place sold, and the deal was made on the farm.

          Six years ago this coming May we moved to the farm.  Again truckloads of stuff being moved, but this time the truck was only full one way.  Then we had an auction.  Got rid of a ton of stuff.  Again!

          We settled in, starting making the changes everyone does when they move into a new place.  We loved our new home, everything about it.  Then my husband passed away, and there was just Jerry and me.  But we have a good relationship, I have been blessed with all my kids - there was never any comparison between kids, never your kids and my kids.  Always our kids.

TO BE CONTINUED..............