I mentioned Friday we had to do triage because not everything we want will fit in the final POD. Before I get to that, let me back up. As I was packing the dishes, I came across the set of china Mom and Dad got before I was born. Mom said to donate them since we never use them. That was before we knew we would be short on space. I told her we could use them on special occasions. Mom presents her counter suggestion. Why not use them every day in our new home? The more they are used, the more likely they will break, but at least Mom agreed to keep her and Dad's china.

On the day we finished packing the POD (and deciding what goes and what gets left behind), Mom wanted to leave out a painting of herself a friend of hers did when she was in her twenties. I had to talk Mom into keeping it. Then we come across her mom's dishes. Mom wanted to throw them away. I couldn't make a justifiable case to keep them. Donate the dishes instead of trashing them. Someone would like antique tableware.

By the time the final POD was full, Mom did not have any space for three of her Thomas Kinkade paintings. Instead of donating them to charity, she gave all three of them to our neighbor.

When I thought the worst was over, we now have a bigger problem. The buyer was supposed to sign today. However, Mom got a phone call yesterday informing her that the buyer's bank account was hacked. His $79,000 deposit is gone. The bank caught it early but did they catch it in time? As of the time I write this, we don't know.

Jeanette Isabelle