Dad's coat

We all have too much stuff, don't we? I don't like to think of myself as a pack rat (yes I am keeping that for a 1/garage sale, 2/ sell on Ebay, or I will want and/or need that someday...

Well I am trying to lighten the load and have targeted certain rooms to start. The first target spot is a closet in one of my spare rooms where all my coats (40 plus) reside. Some are vintage, some are new and one thing I noticed when I took a very hard look was that I own way too many black coats that are very similar. So the cleansing of the closet happened before Xmas. I took a few vintage coats to the Beachland vintage store where I got a few bucks (to maybe buy more coats, lol!) A few were not vintage, didn't fit and were sent to the Goodwill. In the last back part of the closet was the last coat my dad ever bought for himself; a sporty London Fog leather bomber jacket. He wore it a few years before he died and who knows why I kept it. I guess just because it was his. When my beloved dad died mom and I gave all his clothes to charity; with the exception of this coat and I also kept his tweed jacket with the suede patches on the elbows and I will always keep that. He had it for years and when I look at it I can visualize him in my mind. Plus it is older and don't think many others would want it. But this leather jacket was hard to figure out what to do with. Too nice to just dump at the Goodwill and what if some idiot sleazebag bought it. Didn't know of anyone who it would fit that I would want to have it. I finally called Associated Charities and found that they have a clothes program for people who need nice clothes. They fill out forms and then get to "shop" for what they need. Marilyn assured me that they screen their people and she told me if I wasn't ready to let go........she sure would understand. But hey, after 11 plus years, I think the time was right. I typed a small note and tucked into the inside pocket saying that the former owner of the coat had been my dad and he was a great and kind man and hoped whoever got the coat would wear it in good health. I didn't cry as I handed the coat to one of the workers but thought to myself that my dad would be pleased with what I had done that day...