hubby and I are planning to go into Assisted Living.

[democrank]

88. Wishing you and your husband all the best, CTyankee.

My beloved partner passed nearly two years ago and I, like you, have to downsize and move.

He was a regular pack rat, a Mr. Fix-It, with two cases of used sandpaper, 200 yard sale light bulbs, a zillion small pieces of wire, three 5-gallon buckets of bolts, three cases of used lamp sockets.... and I loved every minute of him.

I was determined to make downsizing a positive thing, so almost every time something of his went out the door, I saw it as sending his wonderful spirit everywhere. A neighbor is wearing my partner's wool socks. A homeless man in the neighboring village has my partner's winter jacket and gloves. My young grandson, an avid fisherman, has my partner's mother's old Ted Williams fish pole. My dear friend has his cast iron bird art in her garden. A disabled neighbor has most all our scrap metal.

I could write for an hour, but let's just say it was a surprisingly joyful experience in many ways, and I got to decide once and for all, the difference between a real keepsake and a loving memory.
My partner's DAV license plate is hanging on my youngest grandson's wall, but the two-sided love note my partner and I passed back and forth every day for sixteen years is in a box on my bureau, where it will stay until the day I die.

I wish you all the best in this next stage of your life. You'll be surprised how much you learn about yourself (and each other) when you've finished.

~PEACE~