Estate sales are a newer thrifting experience for me. I've always loved to shop at Goodwill and hunt for designer labels and hidden treasures, but estate sales have a different feel. I'd never gone to one until my mom got a house in Florida. The local retirement communities have estate sales going constantly. It's interesting to walk through someone's house and see all their items out for sale. It's not just an item in a thrift store — it's a life left behind. You get a sense of their personality, what they valued and how they spent their time. At first, shopping in someone's home felt disrespectful. I mean, to try on someone's shoes while sitting in their closet after they died has a certain cringe factor, but there we were. And we were equally delighted to find a craft room overflowing with unused fabric and sewing notions.

I could write a whole character sketch based on an hour spent in someone's home going through their things. I thought about this when reading Ann Patchett's new novel "Whistler." One of the characters in the book is faced with the daunting task of sifting through his parent's belongings in his childhood home after his mother passes. His wife advises him to call a company that will sell it all for them. It's a common solution, apparently.

The cringe factor I originally felt shopping in someone's home soon gave way to something else: deep curiosity and gratitude. Yes, I was looking through items with the intent to buy, but I was also bearing witness to someone's life in the process. By thoroughly appreciating what they'd left behind, I got a glimpse of the person they were.

At one estate sale, I saw a woman who obviously enjoyed traveling. I wondered what she did for a living. Did she travel for her work? Or were these vacation destinations? My son marveled at coins and paper money from Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan and China, all separated into baggies. There were also chef's aprons from Peru and the Cayman Islands. This woman's house was decorated with artwork and furniture from Asia. I bought two necklaces from her collection. One featured a sandstone pendant, and the other was adorned with many beautifully polished pieces of shells. The coins and necklaces now begin a new life with us and become part of our family stories.

Shopping in the home actually felt more like honoring her life because we got to view her items in context. We gleaned a sense of her personality, and we will go on enjoying them with genuine interest. What this woman left behind speaks to a life well lived.

What I like most about an estate sale is the reminder that I will never complete every task nor reach every goal. Life ends when it ends. There will be yen not spent, books not read and quilts not finished. But if a loved one doesn't keep things for themselves, perhaps at an estate sale someone, somewhere, will pick items up and continue forward with them.

Do you know anyone who's doing cool things to make the world a better place? I want to know. Send me an email at Bonnie@WriterBonnie.com. Also, stay in the loop by signing up for her weekly newsletter at WriterBonnie.com. To find out more about Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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