Judie Rappaport: 'Junk' to one man is really his mother's
treasures  Dear Judie: Mom's (88) a mini-hoarder: magazines
("I'll read this later"); pens ("We might run out"); dishes
(four sets); and decades of photographs she never looks at.
She's too frail to remain alone so she's moving in with me. I
want her to live with me, but my space is limited and there's no
way all that junk's coming with her. Any ideas?  — Ed, Vero
Beach  Dear Ed: The move might go a bit more smoothly if you
stopped calling Mom's items "junk" and "rubbish" and tried
understanding that mom's facing two extremely difficult
emotional events: simultaneously acknowledging her own decline
(she can no longer live alone) and permanently parting with
items she's treasured for years. Tell Mom how glad you'll be
when she moves in and how badly you feel because you don't have
room for all her treasures. Ask if you can go help her sort and
choose items to donate or gift to family and friends. If your
temperament doesn't include great patience, consi