The Stuff of Life

 I confess that I am an accumulator of "stuff"...books, magazines, mementos, clothes, my children's old schoolwork, awards and certificates, photo books, the list goes on. I'm not a hoarder; I've seen those shows and realize thankfully, that I haven't devolved to that level.  

This past week, however, we had our entire upstairs re-carpeted (four bedrooms, hallway and stairs), which meant that we had to empty every closet, dresser, nook and cranny.  I realized, somewhat shamefully, that we still possessed everything that our adult children had left behind when they moved out. Closets were packed with books, clothing, boxes of cards, letters, schoolwork, notebooks, etc.; an accumulation of years worth of "stuff" that had to be boxed up, moved out and sorted through.  I also have kept much of my parents' stuff, even though they passed away years ago.

This morning, as I sit here, surrounded by boxes still in need of sorting (determined not to put them back in the closets), I find myself contemplating the stuff of life; all that we accumulate through the years, none of which we can take with us when we move on to the next life of course. If we don't deal with it now, someone else will have to (as I found out after my parents died).

George Carlin, although a bit too crude for me most of the time, had some great insights into many things, including our "stuff".  He did a whole comedy bit simply called "stuff":  "Your home is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and earn money to get more stuff"...."sometimes we have to move to a bigger house to make room for all our stuff"..."or put our stuff in storage..imagine that, there's a whole industry based on keeping an eye on your stuff".

All kidding aside, this morning I'm trying to prayerfully approach this and remembering that Jesus told people that if they wanted to follow him, they had to sell all their possessions, give to the poor and leave their old life behind. A bit drastic for me at this stage of my life, but food for thought.  Maybe it's the attachment to our possessions that we have to let go of...our attachment  to the old, the past, the things and mindsets that we cling to.

So today, as I sort through my physical stuff, I will also try to sort through my mental, emotional and spiritual stuff, giving away what no longer serves me well, throwing away whatever hinders my path forward and keeping close to my heart those treasures that are worth keeping.

I hope you'll join me.