Whether you’ve waived the white flag and surrendered to the need to declutter, or you face the daunting task of cleaning out the home of a deceased loved one, you likely face the difficult challenge of sorting through decades of possessions. While some of these items may have significant monetary value, many may just have sentimental meaning, yet be the hardest to part with. Writing in The New Yorker, Jane Brox recently described her own process for sifting and sorting as she worked her way through her deceased father’s possessions. As she discovered, “objects that had barely registered while he was alive seemed just as precious, if not more so, than the ones I’d imagined treasuring.”  Her story reveals the emotional aspects of facing what may be your last connection with a beloved relative. As Randi Mazzella recently underscored in Next Avenue, “what’s important is to honor your own emotional process” when determining how to let go of a loved one’s worldly possessions.

And speaking of Next Avenue: This website recently put together in one place a series of articles they’ve previously published on everything from what to do with stuff no one else would want to how to deal with the inheritance of your parents’ home. So pull out those trashbags and read more here. If you’re looking for some hands-on help with the process of sorting the wheat from the chaff, Entrepreneur magazine recently profiled the junk-hauling franchise Gone For Good, which touts itself as an eco-friendly resource to help families sort through the process of downsizing homes or shedding possessions in an environmentally conscious way. As founder Reid Husmer stated, “We can do in one day what may take families weeks to do.” And if you want to know more about his philosophy for clearing out homes, you can read his recently published book, CLEANING OUT GRANDMA: How Americans Can Consume Less and Care More.