Loss and Packing belongings: At 78, with friends with end-of-days illnesses, I am getting ready for the day with distribution of house items after a friend passed away. She could not take care of her cats and her personal care when her illness caused hospitalization and death in a skilled nursing care facility. She refused hospice. In 1998, my husband and I lived with his mother when her mouth cancer returned and she could not swallow. She was in remarkable good health until the effects of treatment and possibly a new metastasis caused her demise. This time, with my friend's son overwhelmed with working and packing up her apartment, I volunteered to help. It's a slow process, and the extra month to clean up is almost over! The lessons I'm learning include my goal of getting rid of years of saving stuff that have no meaning any longer!