My parents are moving... and I thought HIV was a test of will

[randym431]

You've never lived till you "have" to help move your 70-ish year old parents, from the house you grew up in, and they lived in for some 60 years. I now know the true meaning of the word NIGHTMARE. The fear and reality of going into those rooms, packed to the ceiling with boxes of storage, and going thru them one by one. Oh, we all had this great idea, my sisters and me, to talk my parents into going from a house to something simple they can manage and get around in. Like a one level pre-manufactured home in a senior park, with no stairs to climb, a tiny yard to maintain, and a laundry room on the one level. For years now, we all have been pushing them to make a move and size down, in their senior years. But they fought it, and fought it hard.
Then out of the blue, and a shock to us kids, they agreed to start looking and sell their home of some 60 years. So we all started driving around, searching, for just the right senior park with maybe a real nice place for sale, and we found one. And they just loved it. A nice big kitchen, nice one level place with laundry and everything. No basement stairs to try to navigate or fall down. Sky lights in the bath, and a second bath with a walk in shower. Actually, I never realized how nice these pre-fab homes were inside, and huge. And its in a senior park, with strict rules. Thats another plus, for them. They're new place is up against a large pond with geese, ducks and three gazebo’s. Like a little paradise in the back yard. Only a few years old, this place also has a new garage and screened in porch. Both something my parents never had at their old house.
And then it got really strange. Seems the old guy that were selling this pre-fab home was a childhood buddy of my dads. They use to box and play football together. So we are thinking, this was truly meant to be. But... houses here are not selling. Every neighborhood you can almost take your pick, there are so many homes forsale and just not selling. So since my parents found just the right place as their new home, we put their old home up forsale. And, a real shock, it sold that very weekend. So now, we KNOW this is all meant to be.
And now... the move... HELP!
They want a closing date of March 30th (yep, in like two weeks), so off we go packing and sorting thru 60 years of, well to be truthful, junk!
My mom saved EVERYTHING. She has boxes of canceled checks going back to the 1960's. And boxes and boxes statements from department stores that went put of business 30 years ago. And boxes of clothes, gawd the clothes. Some with the price tag still on them. I never knew they could have so many clothes, and nick knacks packed away. Its just overwhelming. And still ongoing. Its a test as to survival, moving your senior parents. And naturally, they felt they should keep everything. No, no way mom, just no way. Goodwill, here we come big time. What a mess...
So if you have parents getting up there in age, and still in the same house all their life, this will no doubt come to you someday.
And it all started with this great idea we kids all had, to make our parents life a lot easier. hehehe   

PS. Well one thing I keep telling my sisters, at least we are going thru this while they are still alive. It would be triple hard if one or both were gone and we had to do this under those circumstances.

[cjc]

hello, We went through this with my Grandparents back in 1995. And it was a nightmare but they were so much happier and I bet your parents will be too. Good Luck.  Cristy