It\u2019s been said that the hardest work starts after the funeral service ends, as people try to cope with the resulting grief and figure out what to do with a loved one\u2019s personal belongings. Margareta Magnusson wrote a bestselling book about how to avoid the unenviable task of sorting through the personal belongings of someone who has died. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning introduces the Swedish process of d\u00f6st\u00e4dning (in Sweden, d\u00f6 means \u201cdeath\u201d and st\u00e4dning means \u201ccleaning\u201d) as a way to \u201cfree yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the morbid-sounding title, Magnusson\u2019s book has a positive bent, presenting the idea that death cleaning is an uplifting task we should all practice sooner rather than later. Going through your private effects<\/a> before you die and deciding what to keep vs. what to throw away makes this task less stressful for those you leave behind. It\u2019s a lasting gift that family members and friends will truly appreciate.\r\n