Moving is daunting.  You pack up all your stuff, transport it to a new place then unpack everything.  So much carrying … to and from.  It all fit into your previous home, but your new place?  Ahh, it is a whole new puzzle!  Now you have to make everything fit in a new shape.

Five years ago we moved out of a 2600 square foot home, into our ‘temporary’ 900 square foot apartment.  We had a huge moving sale before taking what was left, fitting what we could into the apartment, and put the rest in storage.  Five years later, we are unpacking things we haven’t seen in years. 

We are now sorting, selling, and tossing out so many things.  It’s time to reduce and be more minimalistic.  Our new condo does not have a basement – our preference – as we did not want a place to put stuff.  We are getting rid of the storage unit and its contents and making what’s left fit in the new place.  Otherwise, it gets donated or sold. 

Amanda went ahead to heaven in 2014.  We’ve held onto some things of hers – memories that we wanted to keep.  We actually brought her last wheelchair with us 5 years ago when we moved to the little apartment, and it sat in our little apartment garage.  I would look at it and think, “Ugh, we must get rid of that.  What good is it other than collecting dust in the garage?”  Ted didn’t want to get rid of it, and I respected his desire and never argued. 

It was Ted who brought it up.  There really is no room or reason to keep her chair anymore.  He suggested it might have to be put in the dumpster.  I said, “Let me see if it can be donated”. 

A quick internet search and I found Joni & Friends.  Click here to see her website.  They have people and locations all over (usually churches) who gather up the donated wheelchairs.  One such location was just thirty minutes from us.  I emailed the contact person and she replied promptly.  She explained how the chairs are refurbished by prison inmates then sent off all over the world to give hope, dignity and mobility to someone who needs a wheelchair.  I literally sobbed when I read her email.  I read it aloud to Ted and he sobbed, too.  They even try to give feedback as to where the chair ends up and who the recipient is, if possible.  Dang – that chair (I thought) meant little to me but now it is precious.  I am cleaning it up today and will include my book, “Amanda, Perfectly Made” so that people can read about who the chair belonged to.  It’s like, giving Amanda’s old wheelchair wings.  She’d like that.

just Laurel