As professional organizers, we often work with homeowners who feel pushed out of their homes by all their stuff. Years of accumulation and procrastination have resulted in their stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed about not knowing where to begin. More often than not, the source of their anxiety is around the emotional triggers that their possessions hold. The most stressful of items to deal with are those belonging to a loved one that has passed. Whether of the human or animal kind – the loss is no less traumatic. Too much emotion can be wrapped up in the physical possessions of a loved one. It is hard to think about letting something go. However, over time the pain will ease but remember that some things take more time than others.
If the belongings of your loved one are consuming your living space and your goal is to take back your home, I would suggest placing like items into a memories box. Excessive volume may require you to be selective with what you keep. Your most favourite pieces and those dearest to you keep them out and find a way to display them proudly.
Our Herbie
Pictured at the top of this article is our very much alive Herbie – our Lakeland Terrier. He is almost 13 years old. As much as we cannot bear to think of a day when Herbie is no longer with us, having this picture (we have hundreds of them) brings and will bring a big smile to our hearts and many many fond memories.
As a parent, you know full well which are your pet’s favourite treat, sweater, and toy(s). Rather than tucking away your pet’s favourites in a drawer (you know you can’t bear to toss them…), consider displaying them proudly in a collage or shadow-box photo frame.
Create a Shadow Box for Pet Memories
One of our favourite pictures of Herbie (it was hard since they are all our favourites) was this one we took when he was a youngster in a pumpkin patch. Trust me, I am no crafty person, but did take the time to make this shadow box, as a gift to my husband, who is the proud father of our 4-legged son. The supplies I needed from the local craft store were:
- Shadow-box frame
- Fun textured construction paper (as shown in the orange background)
- 3D adhesive foam squares (2 photographs were printed and the top photo was used to cut around our Herbie so that by placing the foam square under the top copy it looked 3D)
- Foam novelty stickers in a dog theme
- Pawprints kit (we used a customized hand-painted & kilned product by Spawts, available at our groomers)
The thought of organizing your pet memories may be an emotional struggle, but the process of doing so might be just what you (and especially children) need to help you through your grieving process. The bonus at the end is a beloved memorial to your 4-legged child.
