When your Home is Your Relatives' Storage Unit
How many of us have stuff that was given to us because it has sentimental value for "The Gifter"? When I got an apartment with some college friends, we were grateful to snatch up all kinds of donations and cast offs from family members. We had a couch from my Uncle in Law's wife, a bunk bed from my room-mates mother, a REAL kitchen table given by an aunt. It was even solid wood, not pressed board. We felt blessed! And we were. As I moved around from place to place, some of these items did not work in the new space, so they got re-gifted to people who would use them. About twelve years ago, I moved into a spacious home, and suddenly had a lot of room to store other people's things. Many items were given to me because they were sentimental to The Gifter, not to me. The Gifter gave me these items because I had room to store them, and The Gifter was attempting to de-clutter their own home. I went through a season where every time someone downsized or a distant relative