August is "What will be Your Legacy Month." I've been thinking about this a lot lately.  Partly because, my uncle passed away at the end of July.  He was known for being fun-loving and having a knack for fashion and decorating. I remember him always being dressed up and often wearing matching hats.  Even when he was wearing a sweat suit, he still looked pulled together.  He will be greatly missed.

Being the social worker turned professional organizer that I am, I'm concerned about the hardship that many families face when they attempt to answer the question "What do we do with our loved one's belongings?" Parting with a loved ones things, or even deciding what to do with them after they are gone is an emotionally challenging process.  The process is made even more difficult when the deceased loved one has a huge quantity of belongings and has not left any clues as to his or her wishes.  Families often feel obligated to hold on to everything.  Sometimes, one family member gets stuck with being the keeper of everything, other times family members fight over the belongings.  This is not the legacy that anyone would want to leave behind.  To make things easier for everyone, it makes sense to "get your house in order," both literally and figuratively, before you part.  Here are some things you can do to make things easier on your family:

• Have a will.
• Create a Living Will.
• Designate a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.
• Declutter often.  Weeding out the things that you no longer need, use, or like now will lighten the already overwhelming burden on your family in the future.  They will have a better idea of what was meaningful to you and won't have to sift through the unimportant clutter.
• Donate any unused, unwanted, unloved items to charity.  Let your legacy be generosity not clutter and chaos.
• Hold on to the treasures.  When you're decluttering and weeding out, hold on to the important things.  Some things you might want to keep are:
• Family Photos
• Family Bibles
• Diaries, Journals
• Wills
• Immigration Papers
• Adoption Papers
• Address Books
• Home Movies/Videos
• Baby Books, Wedding Books, Scrapbooks, Guest Books, Year Books, etc.
• Antiques/Collectibles with attached history (see below).
• Fine Jewelry
• Family Recipes
• Family Trees, Family History
• Original Artwork, Hand-made crafts, published books or manuscripts
• Signature Possession, if any (favorite hat, scarf, tool, first hat, Christening gown, etc.)
• Vital records and important documents (Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Social Security Cards, Taxes, etc.)
• Significant correspondence/letters/newspaper clippings (no junk mail or random newspaper articles)
• Military or occupational keepsakes ( a few special pieces, not the whole shebang)
• Label photographs so that your family can identify the who, what, when, and where of each picture.
• Discuss and/or write down the histories of significant pieces, memorabilia, and keepsakes.
• In addition to having a will, place name labels on items, or write a personal letter to your family stating your wishes.
• Inform your family of the location of all of your vital records, documents, and safe deposit boxes.

Follow these steps whenever appropriate, and ease the burden on your loved ones.