Finally...

Well, I finally finished getting everything moved out of the other house. Presently, Mom's garage looks like the site of a garage sale. LOL Now, I will spend the weekend going through all of the stuff and getting it organized. I will also be painting the kids' room and getting it ready to put their beds together.

There are some things I have learned through this move. First and foremost, we had WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!!!! Second, it is all just "stuff." The more of it I went through, the less of the stuff I felt it was necessary to keep. Some people will be making some serious cash off the stuff I left on the side of the road.

Let me explain - While my sweet boy was moving some things out of my car and into the garage, he dropped the top off of one of my favorite teapots. It looks like a desk and the top is (was) a typewriter. I was at the grocery store, and he called me in tears to tell me what happened. He was so afraid I was going to be angry with him. It was in that very moment I realized it truly is just stuff. My kids are the most important "things" in my life. So what if a teapot gets broken. I have 3 gorgeous kids that I adore and that adore me. The "stuff" can be replaced... My kids can NEVER be replaced. So what if I am never able to replace that teapot. I would drop it and break it myself before I would let one of my kids think my stuff is more important.

As I sit here looking around my Mom's house at all of her stuff crammed into every nook and cranny, closet, drawer, cabinet, counter-top, etc., I wish I could make her understand this concept. It's just "stuff." The memories in your mind and in your heart are what matter. Those are the sentimental things that can NEVER be replaced. We are the ones that place sentimental value on things - such as the box from a watch my mother received when she was 12. Who cares if it came from your mother's brother's aunt's uncle's cousin's father. It is still just stuff...

Don't get me wrong, I do have a few items I keep because they hold a special place in my heart. I have an Indian Chief wall hanging that was my Dad's. I keep it because I remember all of the conversations we had coming up with names for it, i.e. Chief Constipation. I have his felt hat he would wear when it was cold outside. I still have the little wooden stove my grandfather made for me.

I have learned through numerous moves (call me a nomad) that it is always great to start fresh. It's a nice feeling to let go and get rid of the excess. It's kind of like when we let go of our burdens and turn them over to God. God allows us to start fresh, with the weight lifted and the useless stuff gone... Just as I attempt to make the amount of my "stuff" less and easier to carry, He makes the load lighter and easier to bear...