We've been going through things at my Mom's house as she's downsized and entered an assisted living facility. Now my folks lived well....not extravagantly, but they had a good life. My Mom never was a hoarder to start with and she began "editing" long before that word became a common term in home organization. In fact, after my Dad passed, we had to put the brakes on her pitching too many mementos from their past.
Thinking back, I see that my parents really were the antithesis of accumulating "stuff"....something that seems so common in our culture. My folks could have afforded it all, but it wasn't important to them. The biggest house, filled with high-end decor... the nicest car...the latest phone or electronics... none of that mattered. They lived well...just not "show-offy" well.
What was important to them was how people were treated. It was about the values they tried to instill in their kids. It was the memories they shared with us and their encouragement for us to make memories of our own. It was about the good that comes from sharing your talents and treasures with others...of giving back.
On a grey day in November, as I sat at my Mom's place, sifting through photos, some framed, some not, it struck me how many memories, how many relationships they had accumulated in their lifetime. I'd love to emulate my folks but know that many times, I fall short, getting caught up, caving in, buying "stuff"... When it really IS about having people in your life, not things.
Maybe I'll work on that for 2015. Simplify.... Treat people better... make more memories...share my talents.
Because in the end, it's all just "stuff".
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