We’re going to have another yard sale.  We just had one last year.  I couldn’t believe the amount of stuff that we decided we could live without when we did it last year, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve found enough surplus items in our house to do it again!  Donna is the big cleaner-outer.  She’s almost ruthless in her quest to downsize the amount of stuff in our house that we don’t need and don’t use.  I’m with her on almost all of it.  I did have to motivate myself to thin out the bookshelves at home.  In fact, some of those books made their way to my office, which as you probably know, doesn’t need more books either.  Books are one of my weak spots. 

I’ve written about “stuff” before – in a Rambling last June, for example.  It seems to be a pervasive issue for most of us.  The reality is that almost all of us have way too much stuff; things we don’t need, don’t use, and can’t even remember why we have.  Our stuff has come from all sorts of places; perhaps we inherited it; maybe we bought it because it seemed like a good idea; some items were gifts, well intentioned but ultimately unneeded or wanted.  We tend to take all this stuff and stick it someplace.  Many of us rent storage space for all our stuff we don’t use. 

For our clean-out we’ve used a modified approach of asking ourselves why we have certain items.  We will consider them and ask, “does this make me happy,” or “what will happen if I get rid of this – will I miss it?”  In most cases letting go of things has been freeing.  If it’s a project we might possibly get around to sometime this century, admitting that we really aren’t going to, then eliminating the reminder that we aren’t going to, is nice.  It can also be helpful to feel like there is more room to breathe and move because there’s less stuff.  Doing things becomes easier because we have less stuff to move, sort, tidy, clean, maintain, or worry about. I’ve also been reassured that memories attached to things don’t magically evaporate when the thing goes away.  In some cases, a simple photograph of an item is enough to hold on to. Sometimes it feels good if we can pass along an item to a person who needs it, or to a charity that can make money from it.

In our case, any proceeds from selling our stuff (what we haven’t already given away) will be converted into travel and the creation of memories with our family, arguably the best “stuff” we can hold onto because it takes up little room and I don’t have to dust around it.  I’m still having trouble realizing how much we’re getting rid of after having done a pretty thorough culling last year.  The scary thing is we can

probably do it again next year – we still have a lot of stuff!  Like a lot of things, it’s getting easier each time we do it.  I can now think back over the last year at all stuff we got rid of and realize that I haven’t missed most of it.  (Maybe there’s a little regret about an item or two…)

Jesus once sent his disciples out and told them to travel light – no staff, no purse, no bags for their journey.  We might think that it teaches a way of trusting in God, and it surely does.  But Jesus was also suggesting that his followers put down all the things they would have had to leave outside the temple before going onto the holy ground where God “dwelt”; that their lives out in the world were about being on holy ground every where they went.  Our stuff can be completely profane, in the sense that it rarely does anything to bring us closer to God.  It is often a source of distraction, a symbol of our greed, our self-medication against the uncertainty and malaise that can accompany life.  Keeping our stuff close can also have the spiritual effect of keeping God that much farther away. 

I don’t know exactly how I will live a holier life with less stuff.  I’m not sure how it will bring God closer; I actually may pray less for God to help me find something I’ve misplaced in the midst of all my stuff!  What I do know from reading and listening to those who have de-cluttered their lives is that they do experience greater freedom, more time to spend with loved ones, and less anxiety about having so much stuff and keeping it neat and organized.  I’ve also learned since round one last year that I really don’t “need” nearly what I tend to think I do.  Simple is good.

If you find yourself plagued by stuff and you feel a need to do something about it, just start somewhere.  Fill one box or one bag of items you don’t need and get rid of them.  If you have a lifetime of stuff that you realize your children and grandchildren may not want, come to terms with that and find those things homes or use them to generate financial support for people or groups that are important to you.  Perhaps you can donate items to an organization that sells them to raise funds for life-changing programs and ministries.  It’s not the easiest process to get started and it can often feel overwhelming.  But if you want to move things out, I encourage you to do so.  I know a certain woman who can help you.  She’s getting quite good at it… and it might distract her long enough for me to sneak some books back on the shelves.

Tom+

 O God of Love, we yield thee thanks for whatsoever thou hast given us richly to enjoy, for health and vigor, for the love and care of home, for joys of friendship, and for every good gift of happiness and strength.  We praise thee for all thy servants who by their example and encouragement have helped us on our way, and for every vision of thyself which thou hast ever given us in sacrament of prayer; and we humbly beseech thee that all these thy benefits we may use in thy service and to the glory of thy Holy Name; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord.  Amen.