Your CartDo you ever walk through your house and see some small item sitting on a shelf, or a tool in your workshop, or a piece of jewelry in your jewelry box that makes you smile because it brings back a memory?
Not long ago, my 8-year-old granddaughter was visiting our home and asked if she could see “our rings.” We went to the jewelry box and I pulled out “our rings.” She was mesmerized by their beauty! She placed her ring on her finger and I placed my ring on mine. We held our hands up together and she said, “Mimi, we should wear these today!” So off we went with our oversized, red ruby heart-shaped rhinestone rings with adjustable tarnished bands that we admired all afternoon. Cost: $2.00 each Value: Priceless.
The Personal Property Distribution (PPD) section of When The Time Comes is exactly where “our rings” will be listed. Our legal Will lists items of larger value but the PPD form lists those items that are less valuable but evoke a memory each time we see them. They are items that someone has admired for a long time, or items of less value that we want to make sure a specific person receives.
When having discussions with families I have worked with over the years, I would generally encourage them to tag the underside or back of items with the name of the person who should receive the item upon their death. For some, it was difficult to reach the back of furniture or lift an object. Some items were special pieces of clothing that couldn't be tagged and some were still in use today and couldn't be tagged.
The PPD section gives you an opportunity to list the items, where they are located, who they should go to and why. If it is something that has been passed down through generations, a brief story could also be a blessed gift to your loved ones.
That old hammer that hasn't been used in years but hangs on the peg board in the garage, might have a story to tell. Maybe it was your grandfathers and you want to pass it on to your children. If your children are not aware of the story or the sentimental value, the hammer will likely get tossed because the newer hammer hanging next to it is in better shape.
Take a bit of time to walk through the rooms of your home, garage, attic, basement and even outdoors. What do you see? Where have you stashed those sentimental items? What items bring back a memory? Would someone in your family or a friend enjoy having these items? Ask your children, grandchildren, friends or other family members now if there are any specific items they may want.
Don't be offended if they don't want your silver set, Grandma's china, or antique furniture because times have changed and some items just are not valued the same as they once were. You may be surprised at the items they do want: the rolling pin you used together in the kitchen, the hatchet you chopped firewood with when camping, the afghan you snuggled on the couch with, all items of little dollar value but the sentimental value makes it priceless.
Write it down. Share the memory. Give direction as to how your belongings should be dispersed after your death.
When my granddaughter receives “our rings” after I have passed on, they will have no monetary value whatsoever and she may toss them away soon after receiving them, but I truly think they will bring a smile to her face and a warm memory to her heart for a moment. Oh what fun we had wearing our big red heart-shaped diamonds (as she calls them) rings around the house!