I’ve been a professional organizer for more than 20 years, but my love of creating comfortable and functional spaces goes back to my childhood. I was very sentimental and liked to save everything, so I became very good at sorting, consolidating, rearranging, and organizing my “stuff” so it would all fit in my room. As I got older, I was able to hone these skills and found myself using them in various ways throughout my school years and in the jobs I held as a young adult. In my early twenties, the death of my grandmother changed my approach to life and my relationship with the things around me.
I helped care for my grandma in her home from the time she had a mastectomy until she died not long after. Spending this time with her was a continuation of the closeness we shared when I was growing up. After she died, we discovered boxes of memorabilia and pictures she’d kept in her attic but that, despite the countless stories she’d told when my siblings and I were kids, she’d never talked about. So, while the time I spent with her during the last few months of her life was profound and rewarding for me, it was also bittersweet because I realized that we’d never know her stories associated with these belongings. I understood then the importance of legacy, and that the inherent value of our possessions lies not in their monetary worth but rather in the life experiences and stories connected with them.
Because of my own experience of lost family history, I want to help others avoid the same fate. I work with individuals and families to identify needs, goals, and priorities in organizing their homes. Engaging with clients in this way also enables me to help them:
• Share the stories of their lives, prompted by the meaning of their possessions
• Determine how closely they are living in alignment with their dreams, passions, and goals, and whether they’re creating the legacy they want to leave behind
• Get their homes and belongings in order before they die (Swedish Death Cleaning)
• Gather and organize critical documents and other information in order to prepare wills and establish powers of attorney
• Make meaningful and appropriate decisions about what to do with a deceased loved one’s belongings
I welcome the opportunity to connect with you. I can be reached at 724.850.7282 or via www.in-its-place.biz.