Swedish death cleaning was our topic last month. I don't know how seriously you may have taken the article but if I suggest a topic, I will always be open to trying it out myself.
I started by reaching out to my children first. This may not seem important in the big scheme of things but it is important to me. We all know how “Mama's” are so endure for the time being. What may be important to me, may not be important to them BUT I want to know for my sanity so that I can move on. I am the type of person who gets something on their mind and it will stay there until I mark it off the mental list.
This type of cleaning is just not limited to family. Maybe you have a friend that admires something you have...give it to your friend. It will make them happy and you would have succeeded in accomplishing your goal. The possibilities are limitless. I really started examining my STUFF yesterday and was able to successfully get rid of a huge container of clothes and donate it to a domestic violence group who in turn sells the items to benefit women who are in abusive situations. I then decided to donate 2 afghans that belonged to my mother to benefit our local church bazaar (that was a hard one) but the point is that the items were tucked away in a drawer taking up space and was not being used. We tend, or let me say, I tend to hold on to things that I think define who I am and then go out and buy something else which is ridiculous.
Over the last few months, I have realized that STUFF does not matter, God and family does. The basics are all you need which is food, clothing, shelter and a whole lot of faith. If you are the type of person who has 10 coats, ask yourself if you really need that many...come on...you can't wear them at the same time!! Give them away to a homeless shelter or someone who could use it. Think in terms of sharing with others, loving others. Jesus did not even have a place to lay his head...get the message? I would love to hear that you have taken this challenge to live simple and to make a difference with what God has blessed you with.
Next month, we will be talking about Thanksgiving.
