The Power of Purging Part Two

“Give more things away. Your life will feel lighter. Your heart will feel warmer. The world will be better.”

– Joshua Becker

Hallo! As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I have been spending quite a bit of time lately going through all sorts of boxes in my garage…purging, sorting, tossing. Where does it all come from?!

But I must admit, the stacks of boxes do seem to be dwindling somewhat 😊

Here’s a happy story (buried under death, death & more death, of course):

While going through some of John’s police-related boxes the other day, I came across a plastic bag with a $20 bill and some coins. This was the cash that happened to be in John’s pocket when he died. I remember the medical staff giving it to me in the hospital – before I’d even seen John in Emergency.

For some reason, I had held onto it for two decades.

I put the cash in my wallet…knowing I would know how best to put in back into circulation, when the right opportunity arose.

Then I moved on to dealing with all of Sadie’s (my beloved Retriever who passed away 18 months ago) things.

What a FUN way to spend the holidays during a pandemic! Let’s turn off the relentless stream of incredibly bad news (that, unbelievably, just seems to be getting worse) and focus on some past personal sorrow…yay!

But honestly, I actually felt pretty good going through all Sadie’s belongings…from her (impressive) ball collection 😊, stuffies, toys and chewies through to her many beds, blankets, towels, harnesses, leashes, collars, medications, ear-cleaning solutions…and wait, even more meds.

That dog received better medical care than most humans on the planet. That hound was loved. And it was that love – the love I had for her and she had for me, and the happy memories of the fabulous five years we had together – that I felt, going through all her things…not the sadness of losing her.

But on a practical note, what to do with all the old meds?

I knew I wasn’t supposed to flush the pills down the toilet or thrown them in the garbage. So I took them all (a rather large bag-full) to my local pharmacy for them to dispose of safely. The pharmacist took one look at the sheer quantity of pills and sent me to the nearest vet.

At the vet, I plopped down my bag o’ pills and asked the lady behind the counter if they would take them.

Her eyes lit up. “Yes!”

Get this: they don’t have to destroy them. Because most of the pills were in their original containers, they would still be able to use them (as long as they hadn’t expired). In fact, they even had a donation program that accepted unused medications – which could be offered to clients who wouldn’t otherwise be able to pay for the expensive meds for their dog.

Yay! I drove away from the vet feeling HAPPY…and significantly lighter.

Two days later, I took my old Christmas tree to the SPCA to be chipped. Guess what I used to make my donation? The $20 bill John had in his pocket the night he died. And boy…did it ever feel good to physically pass that money along to a charity as near and dear to my heart as the SPCA.

I also gave them a big box full of towels, blankets, comforters, leashes, harnesses, and collars 😊

Don’t worry…I still have plenty of dog stuff left, for when I do get another pooch someday. Sadie’s extensive ball collection and basket-full of (now clean) stuffed animals and chew-toys are in my garage, ready and waiting to be loved again…when the time is right to open my heart and home to another hound.

Take care, stay well & thanks for reading!

Related Blogs by Maryanne

The Potently Imperative Power of Purging

Celebrating Sadie

Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and a Director with the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her weekly blog, Weekly Words of Wisdom, subscribe here.