The Impact of a Traveling Organizer

In May I was in the mountains of rural Georgia assisting a family as they planned to move Dad to a senior community in New York. Coming alongside clients as they navigate such transitions is something our team does regularly. Sometimes it calls for traveling out of state, which is a premier service that Spirit & Space provides.

After a video consultation with Dad and one of his daughters, the project started with virtual organizing sessions. I also researched donation and estate sale options in the area, and coordinated pick up of unwanted items.

When it became clear that Dad was having a hard time making progress on his own with virtual support, we pivoted. I provided guidance for a family friend to assist Dad, and scheduled a week for me to provide in-person support to assist directly with sorting and relocation planning. Both of the client’s daughters were in town at the same time.

I worked with Dad to go through his clothes, select kitchen and decor items to pack, and plan furniture needs in the new apartment. This allowed his daughters to focus on their own sorting of childhood items as well as their mother’s clothing and jewelry. I identified resources and facilitated conversations related to an estate sale, junk haul, and moving logistics. Additionally, the clients entrusted me with silver, coins and jewelry for processing and sale.

Perhaps most important, I provided moral support for Dad and his daughters. They were engaged in a transition that was necessary and stressful, understood and yet overwhelming, with a lot of moving parts. In addition to guiding the process, an essential part of what Spirit & Space provided included listening, understanding their needs, and validating their emotions through it all.

Afterwards one of the client’s daughters reflected on the experience:

"Most important to my family was being able to manage clearing out my childhood home, enabling my father to make decisions, as this project felt very big and unmanageable to him. It was invaluable to have Stephanie on the ground, suggesting how to tackle such a large project and helping with next steps for the move. She also provided a much-needed bumper between the family and the behemoth of a project. 

"Because of Spirit & Space being with us, the project went well (which is something I never imagined I’d be able to say). In addition, our family relationships were protected, unencumbered by the stressful, conflicting dynamics we expected. "Stephanie did more than deliver on helping us organize. She was able to help provide comfort to my dad while helping him visualize and move forward on packing things he will want in his next apartment."

It is a pleasure to provide essential help and support to families. When the right project calls, Spirit & Space is ready to hit the road for our clients!