Stories and reflections on leaving a legacy
6 minute read
It’s the final day of Spring Clearing Week 2025 and we’ve spent the last 6 days thinking about what it means to leave a legacy. In particular, we’ve reflected on how our present decisions and actions can positively impact future generations after our death.
It’s been quite a journey. Reflecting on our passing may not have been comfortable for some, but preparing with intention so we can live a fruitful life in the knowledge that we have done all we can to support future generations, is an act of love that can bring you and your loved ones immense peace.
To close our week, we thought it appropriate to ask our members to share what leaving a legacy means to them. Here’s what we discovered:
Jen Childs of House Calmer
“We’ve all got bits and pieces in our homes that we absolutely love. Maybe our nearest and dearest don’t share our passions. I want to introduce you to a set of what I think are 1930’s fish knives and forks which belonged to one of my great uncles. I absolutely love these and do use them but I’m under no illusions that my immediate family don’t quite share my passion for these. So what I’ve started doing is leaving notes in items that are important to me so people actually know when I’m no longer here why the item is important and why I kept it and secondly it’s like a permission slip for my family to decide what to do with it.”
Charlène Collet of ArtiCha
"For me, legacy isn’t just about what we leave behind, it’s about how we live today. Every space we declutter, every reshaped habit, every mindful choice we make creates a ripple effect. Through decluttering and organising we help our clients to “digest” their lives. Making sense of what they hold onto, and choosing what truly matters. Sorting through belongings takes courage, but it’s also a chance to celebrate our journeys. The earlier we embrace this awareness, the more it becomes a life skill. Once learned, it stays with us forever."
Victoria Fearnley of Surrey Decluttering
“As a Swede, I am a great fan of Swedish Death Cleaning and this is my legacy to my family - my book of VIP’s, Very Important Papers, that contains everything my family needs to know once I’m gone."
Ellie Fife of Holistic Life Organising
“ I asked my parents what they’re leaving behind and why. My mum feels it’s her patchwork quilts, all made with love and given as gifts to be kept forever. She has never sold them (and often refused to!). It’s always been about creating something special for someone she knows. Our own home is never without half a dozen, draped over the back of a sofa or on the end of a bed. She also loves her collection of ceramics, made by independent makers. They’re all pieces she’s discovered on her travels, in second-hand or antique shops or at markets. She hopes they’ll be passed on to someone who will appreciate them just as much as her.
For my dad, it’s about history and heritage. He’s holding onto ancient family photographs—reminders of our roots and the stories that came before us. And a grandfather clock, once his Welsh grandmother’s, a connection to his past and our family’s Welsh heritage."
Jaime Frow of Thoughtfully Organised Homes
"Before my grandma passed away she gifted me a bracelet with a letter explaining the story behind it. It was a gift that my late mum had given to her - a small gold charm bracelet and she’d added some charms to it. My late grandfather had also bought some charms for it over the years too. By the time I received the bracelet there were quite a few charms on it and I understood the story behind it. My grandma asked that I keep it and add charms to it and give it to my daughter. The reason I think this is so brilliant is because her legacy was left behind with a story behind it but it also made the process of having to clear her home so much easier. I felt no need to take lots of things or make decisions at a difficult time about what I might like to keep because she had already shared something really special with me. I hope to be able to do the same one day and I hope this story inspires somebody else to think about doing that for themselves too."
Jo Jacob of Benella
“Along with love being my legacy I think it’s going to be simplicity. As someone who has spent 20 years organising people to downsize and move home following a bereavement, and now selling my own family home following the loss of my parents, it really is not to leave chaos - just to leave organised. I have written, I think, the hardest email I have ever done and it just says ‘do not open until you need to’. It’s gone to my adult children and the executors of our will and it basically lists out everything. Where our wills are, where our documents are, who to contact, where our passwords are, how to get into the safe and things like that. It will just make it easier when people are grieving to not then have to have the chaos of then dealing with everything else.”
Julia Jamieson of Orka Living
“For me the word legacy isn’t just about stuff. It’s about clarity, organisation and making life easier for the people I love. It’s about knowing that when the time comes my family aren’t going to be left wading through piles of paperwork wondering what was important to me. So I try and take the time to make sure my paperwork is in order, to declutter items that I don’t really need, and make sure that what I do keep really tells my story. I work with so many people that are thinking about their legacy in different ways, whether it’s passing down family stories, organising important paperwork or just making sure that their loved ones aren’t going to feel overwhelmed when the time comes. It’s not about getting rid of everything, it’s about making sure what you do keep really has meaning. Ask yourself, what story does your home, your space, your life tell?”
Victoria Nicholson of My Wardrobe Zen
“My parents’ legacy was a storage unit so full it took two episodes of Storage Hoarders and a further two years to empty. By sorting out my own things I’m now gifting my son the legacy of freedom.”
Stephanie Rough of The Organised Zone
“I really want my legacy to be known as experiences, memories and things that we’ve enjoyed together as a family. On a recent holiday, we made a long list at the end of all the fun things - all the little bits, all the things that made us laugh, that made us cry so we can look back and remember. It’s all about finding experiences, finding fun things to do for people’s birthdays, (for example) instead of (giving) just more stuff and presents. So make the most of memories and experiences.”
Heather Tingle of Untangled by Tingle
“I hope my legacy will be that I have left people with a greater awareness, understanding and acceptance of autism and ADHD and its link to clutter and that for my family I hope they understand what was truly important to me, which was making memories rather than trying to keep hold of them.”
Kate Yiannacou of Tidy Happy Calm
“The legacy that I’m passing on to my children is the ability to categorise and sort their stuff. If their own homes become messy or disorganised in the future, or when they’ve got to sort out someone else’s possessions, then the whole process won’t feel quite so overwhelming because they’ll know where to start.”
Our legacies are as unique as we are. Let’s prepare well so we can get on with the important business of living.
If you would like support from a professional with preparing your legacy, use our Find an Organiser directory.
