“More Stuff.  More Space.  Less Life.” How true is this quote?  As we move into the holiday season, I am once again contemplating the meaning of all the stuff around our lives.

I met a lady yesterday, who was inquiring about a membership to the YMCA.  Her kids had asked her to come up with some “clutter free” gift ideas.  As a family, they had decided that more stuff was utterly unnecessary.

After our conversation, I was left pondering the values in our consumptive culture.  How do our things serve us?  How do they detract or add to our livelihood?  What do they do to our relationships?  How does stuff find its way into our precious homes?

When people visit, I often hear comments such as “Your place is so neat.  How do you do it?”  I often equate it to my hyper-perfectionist personality and the fact that we don’t have little people running around yet.  However, I also now see a deeper root cause.  Jeremy and I don’t live with a lot of stuff.  Consciously or unconsciously, we have been very intentional about what we bring into our home.  Throughout our marriage, we have continued to purge and let go of the things that no longer add value to our lives.  Through this process, we’ve found both healing and freedom.  The things in our home mean something and often shine on special memories.  They reflect who we are and what we believe in.  They support and nourish our souls, as we retreat from a harried, hectic day.  The stuff in our lives is separate from us.  At any time, moths or thieves, floods or fires, could take it all away.  Upon this reflection, we are centered in knowing that our eyes need to be fixed on something greater.  Something more real.  Something more lasting.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

~William Morris

So, when we go to the stores today, we walk around, immersed in the glamour and sparkling of advertisements.  Our eyes grow wide and our mouths well with thirst over all the yummy, delicious stuff within reach of our fingertips.  We dream about bigger, better, and more.  For a tiny moment, we get lost in the world of illusion; thinking all our problems will be solved if we stuffed our home with all that neat, shiny stuff.

Sale items are my poisonous apple.  While I often don’t need it, I can find every reason and excuse to bring it home.  I mean, it’s a great deal!  It was meant for me to find it!  Shoes and purses are definitely my weakness.  But, bygone, I’ll make room in my closet because it’s worth it!

New Table. Old, Spooky Decoration.

During a recent trip to Target, I came across an aisle full of clearance furniture.  Modern, sleek, new; just calling my name.  I quickly snatched up one of the tables, feeling a tiny twisting in my stomach.  Did I need it?  Heck no, but I proceeded to walk around with it in the cart.  Tiny voices, from both shoulders began speaking.  After bouncing between need and want, I headed toward the checkout line…..with the table.  I had talked myself into deciding it was worth it.  Plus, it really was something I had my eye on for a while, but knew it would only find its way into our home if it drastically came down in price.

When I got home and put the tiny table in the place my mind had picked out, I began to contemplate the price of many things filling the average home today.  This little table cost me two hours of work.  Yet, I began to think beyond that.  Time cleaning, moving (near and far), and decorating also needed consideration.  Over the course of a lifetime, this tiny table may end up taking more of my life than I originally understood.  Not to mention the real estate (space) it now required in our overall square footage.

While this illustration may seem small and worthless, I do have to wonder how this illuminates a greater story.  If our eye is fixed on this stuff, if it only adds to our meaning of success, then what have we lost?  How have we volunteered our time to this stuff, while replacing our capacity for authentic love and real relationship?  In what ways might our stuff neglect or cover feelings/situations that need to be indebted to time?

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.”

~Donald Horban

How will you keep space to love those around you?  What will your buying criteria, in response to more life, be this holiday season?

So, what kind of gifts do you give?  Creative?  Meaningful?  Special and unique to that person?  Made in China?

Over the Christmas season, my sister-in-law (thanks, Jen!) sent a unique gift that definitely warmed our hearts and

The Gift of Adoption

made us curious about a worthy cause.  The Defenders of Wildlife organization works for the protection of all wild animals and plant species in their natural communities.  For those of you still looking for that special someone on Valentine’s Day, adopting an animal is a great way to give back!  And, what a fabulous idea for any birthday!

After receiving this gift, it got me thinking.  I really want to be more conscious in my gift-giving efforts.  Where do these things come from?  How are they made?  What cause or population does it support?

So Sweet. So Local.

To get our minds rolling, I want to introduce two more ideas.  Although I have not yet done this myself, another wonderful gift idea can be found here.  You receive a reusable bag (better for the environment!) AND you get to feed  one child for an entire school year!  Now that’s a worthy gift!

And, the gift of time.  I recently had the opportunity to treat my good friend, Jessica, to a special afternoon at the Lavender Tea House.  Shopping and dining locally is another valuable way to not only give gifts, but to support those in your immediate area.  The Tea House is also a strong advocate for women in business.  They elegantly display and sell various homemade products and foods to help support the surrounding communities.  People working together to make a difference.  Now that’s something I can put my money into!

“If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.”

~George MacDonald

So, how will you give back in your gift-giving?  Who or what will you support?  Let me know…..really, I’d love to hear your ideas!

Wow! I can’t believe my last posting was October 31^st!  Where did the time go?

Actually, as I read over my previous words, I realize that one of the things I needed to drop for a bit was my blog writing.  I was heading into the last weeks of my first semester at seminary, and between final papers and exams, my focus was elsewhere.  Part of learning to live with simplicity is understanding what areas can and should be shed to lessen the load.  It is a constant reassessment of priorities as the demands of life change.

Over the Christmas season, I was blessed to spend the month in Hawaii, visiting with my parents (who currently live on Oahu).  It was an amazing time of reflection and relaxation; something I desperately needed desired after a long and challenging school semester.  I can’t fully explain it, but there is just something about the Hawaiian culture that makes my soul sing.  The fiery sun.  The soft sand.  The magnificent blue skies.  Yes, it truly is a magical place.  It’s almost as if God shines His smile on this tiny piece of the world year-round and for a moment, we glean a sliver of heaven.

Most of my visit consisted of trips to the beach, although a visit to Oahu isn’t complete without spending at least a day in Honolulu and Waikiki.  Personally, the crowds and tall buildings bring me more anxiety than they do pleasure, but nevertheless, it’s always a memorable experience.

One afternoon, we ventured into a shopping mall to check out dresses for my mom to wear for my sister’s upcoming wedding.  Honestly, it was my first time visiting some of the brand name stores, and I almost fell over from price tag shock!  A tank top, for $432?  Really??  And, that was the sale price!  Store after store, the outrageous prices continued to flash before my eyes.  I could feel my stomach knotting up, knowing that some people easily justify these types of purchases.  And, while I’m not one to judge, I can’t comprehend the mind that sees this as okay.  I have a hard enough time spending $30 on a top.

“It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”   ~Thoreau

Priceless.

Shortly after the reminder that the gap between me and upper class society is larger than the Grand Canyon, we headed outside to spend the rest of the evening doing something I could afford.  Watching the Sunset.  As the colors of the sky began to twist in color and magnify in intensity, I began to feel myself melting into my chair.  I couldn’t help but exclaim to my parents, “This is way better than the mall!”  For me, this is where simplicity speaks loudly.  I found so much joy from this wondrous site.  No piece of clothing or material thing could ever compare or replace the splendor of creation.  And the best part:  it’s free, for all to enjoy!

“Let us treasure up in our soul some of those things which are permanent….not of those which will forsake us and be destroyed, and which only tickle our senses for a little while…”   ~Gregory of Nazianzus

I look forward to posting more in the weeks to come as I continue to experience and learn about the many benefits of a simple heart.  As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

What parts of your life are stolen or diminished by the endless pursuit of material (temporal) things?