KINDNESS | RELATIONSHIPS
My Mother’s Generosity Shaped My Journey To Pay It Forward
I am carrying on the family tradition of kindness
My husband and I traveled through most of September, October, and November. After every trip, I am enthused about giving away stuff. I resume my decluttering with renewed vigor. It is probably the realization that if we can comfortably live out of a suitcase for a while, we can certainly clear out a lot of things we don’t use at home.
As long as my mom was with us, that was easy. She had this wonderful habit of carrying something with her to give away each time she stepped out of the house. It could be extra food, bedding, a set of clothes that didn’t fit anymore, and things that we hadn’t used in a while. We had an old trunk that doubled as seating near the shoe rack in our living room where we added things for easy access when we stepped out.
I continued to do this after she passed away, but somehow in the past couple of years, I have not been going out as much as I used to. I try to donate as much as I can, but what accumulated over thirty years takes time to leave the house.
Mom was the sort who, if someone admired something she had, would immediately hand it over. I remember, when I was in school, a colleague of hers…
