A friend of mine in California was a victim of the recent wild fires. Her family was lucky as they survived the fire. Their home did not (see before and after photos to the right).
While it had not been their primary home for a number of years, it held a dear place in her heart as she and her husband custom built it and did much of the work themselves. They raised a son there before moving east a few years back.
Regrettably, my friend only had a hand-written inventory of valuable and priceless items in a kitchen drawer in the home. In the fire she lost things like wedding photos, art, family heirlooms and a lot more cherished treasures. She said, “It’s just stuff,” but I could tell it still hurt.
The emotional and financial loss of a tragic event like this leaves a bottomless pain that can be softened a bit if certain things are organized in advance. For example, if you store vital documents electronically and keep photos important to you in the cloud.
If you’re not sure where to start with this documentation, walk around your house and think about what is irreplaceable financially and emotionally. Make sure you have a appraisals and insurance riders, as well as proof of ownership documents stored in the cloud. Take pictures of important things you wouldn’t be able to remove if you had to leave the house really quickly.
I keep my favorite family photos and photo boxes in a fire-proof safe as well as digitally.
My heart breaks for my friend’s family. We are less likely to have wildfires in New England, but it’s not unheard of for such natural disasters as blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes to occur. Not to mention, everyone has household calamities such as bursting pipes, accidental fires, snow dams on roofs, etc.
This message hits home for me for reasons beyond the impact on my friend. In this newsletter and my organizing practice, I emphasize keeping the items that bring you joy, the items you cherish and removing the ones that don’t. I stand by that advice.
The pandemic has caused many of us to refocus on what’s important. With winter soon coming, it also means we will soon be indoors again. Take advantage of this opportunity to get your house and the items important to you in order. You just never know when that could be important.
If you need some assistance in this area, give me a call at at 508-246-6120.