Of Everything We've Been Through

recently some friends came over to play cards and eat with us.  as we visited around the card table, our talk turned to our son and his partner.  we told our friends that both of them were great believers in being unencumbered by possessions.  our friends, like us, are collectors.  both our homes are filled with objects that have great meaning to us.  the meaning is not so much in the objects themselves, but rather in the memories they evoke.  as my wife explained it, when we see certain decorative items or pieces of furniture, we remember where we were when it came into our possession, what we were doing, or who had owned the object previously.

for instance, in our living room are two end tables that belonged to my parents.  my mother loved these little tables.  they were in my childhood home for as long as i can remember, and each time i look at them i am reminded of happy times and of my beloved mom.  some of the utensils and dishes in our kitchen belonged to my wife's mother and grandmother.  we are reminded of those two lovely women each time we use them.  they fill us with gratitude and happiness.  we rejoice that these useful items continue to benefit us in the same way they did those who went before us.

all over our house are things that rekindle fond recollections of people, places, and circumstances.  these things may not have much meaning to others.  many of them will be disposed of when we are gone, but we hope that a few of them will bring joy to our children, especially our daughter who is more sentimental than our son.  there are those who urge us older folk to "clean out the clutter" before our deaths so that our heirs won't have to deal with what we have left behind.  as our friends said to us, all over our houses are things that have meaning for us.  they bring us joy.  the inspire happy memories of times past.  we can't part with them prematurely because they are parts of us.  to rid our homes of them would be like amputating our arms or our legs.

may we separate the desire to cling to things because of their monetary value from the need to hold onto a past that has brought us great joy and carried us into the present moment.  may we value beautiful and useful objects because of what they mean to us rather than what they are intrinsically.  when the time comes for us to end our earthly existence, may those who look around us see a home that was filled with joy.  shalom.