Fault

Few things have made a bigger difference in my life than discovering the Children of Hoarders support group over at Yahoo! groups. I joined the group in March 2006, and a few days later, a fellow who uses the pen name, "norse", also joined. Although he called himself the "class clown" of the COH group, norse was known as much for his profound insights and his capacity to support other children of hoarders as he was known for his good humor. He took a little vacation from the group a couple of years ago, but he is back now, and he is posting up a storm.

Norse's return seems like a good time to revisit something he said almost exactly six years ago, a comforting message that has been included in the footer of every message sent to the Yahoo group for the past few years, something that became an important part of the story of Children of Hoarders Inc. ever since. Here it is:

Our parents' living conditions never were, are not now, and never will be our fault. We don't bear any responsibility for this. We don't need to carry any guilt for it. 

~norse, July 18, 2006

(Note: Messages and content posted to the Children of Hoarders Yahoo! group are confidential. Norse was kind enough to grant permission to Children of Hoarders Inc. and others to use his quote outside of the Yahoo! group.)