For Those Who Care

Moving… A Milestone Experience
Written By Darrell Johnson

Your mother is 84 years old and lives alone. Her eyesight is failing, she’s becoming forgetful and she’s finding it difficult to keep up with housekeeping, home repairs and maintenance. You fear that she can’t manage on her own much longer. You know she needs to be near you for many reasons.

This is a scenario that is becoming too familiar to many families. Especially with New Bern being the retirement area that it is. Everyday these difficult decisions have to be made. Moving from one home to another can be difficult, particularly for people who have lived in a home for many years. It is more than just the packing, hauling and putting away; there are emotional and spiritual ties. It does not matter whether home is a grand old house, an apartment or a bungalow, home is more than a place of shelter; it’s a place to feel secure, protected and safe. Home is a haven. For older adults who are moving from a home of many decades, parting with this image can be especially hard. Each nook and cranny is filled with memories of people and events...some happy, some sad...all of which deserve to be preserved. 

Many important milestones in our life have rituals...why shouldn’t moving from your home have one too? Instead of just picking up and leaving because we are on such a tight schedule, gather up memories associated with your home and fondly say good-bye. Don’t leave your memories behind...take them with you.

Spend quiet time in each room recalling precious sights and sounds from the past. What was your favorite gathering place...the back porch, the family room, the kitchen? What is your most special memory of that room? Spend time there recalling events shared with loved ones. You’ll be surprised at the pleasure such memories will bring.

Family pets bring back warm memories. Where did you and your cat or dog like to snuggle? Was there a special chair?

Pictures preserve memories too. Collect favorite photographs portraying holidays and happy times in various rooms of the house. Record former addresses and phone numbers, the names of neighbors and special times spent together.

Don’t forget the outside of the home. Yards offer countless memories...barbeques, swing sets, gardens. Dig up a flower bulb and take it with you to your new home.

Reminiscing need not be a solitary experience. Invite family and friends to reminisce with you. The details they add from their personal accounts and the different perspectives will enrich your memories. 

When you take that final step out the door, remember, this is just another beginning in another episode of your life that will create more friends, experiences and even more memories.