You don’t need me to tell you that times are economically challenging right now.  This true story of a recent estate I handled may give us all new perspectives on our accumulated stuff.

I had to clean out the home of a lady who passed away.  The family had already been given all the items they wanted from her home.  What to do with the rest of the belongings?

Often a family wants to donate the remainder of the belongings to charity and doesn’t have a preference where to donate.  When that happens, I recommend Blanket America Ministries http://www.blanketamericaministries.org/.

We cleared all the remaining items of furniture and household goods, and the ministry loaded them on their truck.  They ended up taking all this to a woman up in Appalachia who had been burned out of her house.  Everything that was unloaded from the truck was exactly what she needed.  Amazement and thankful looks were everywhere, from this woman to the ministry volunteers.

The obvious suggestion here is that when you pass away, there are places where your possessions can help someone in need.  That’s good, but what about all the possessions that we hold onto now?

We have garages that can’t hold cars, we have linen closets that we have to lean on the door to close, etc.  In a word, we have so much we don’t need!  Who could we bless now?  There are many in need who look for a professional outfit to interview for work, or a house full of furniture due to disaster, or clothes for growing children.  Maybe it’s time to seek out a ministry that helps others, and pass along some of the extra stuff we have accumulated. 

What do you think?

© 2009 Julie Hall