We have been in the process of dividing our "stuff" into 5 piles:
1 - Quick shipment (up to 1000 pounds that goes by air)
2 - Household Goods (the stuff we "need" to live)
3 - Non-temporary storage (staying in the US - the stuff we can't bear to part with right now)
4 - Things to be stuffed into our suitcases, mailed, or dropped off with relatives
5 - Thrift Shop, recycling, or trash
We're trying to correct the mistakes we made the last time we moved to Germany ten years ago. We have a little better idea of what it could be like and how much we really need. But it has made for more work than before. Six weeks out we started weeding through the basement, our closets and garage. And through the whole process, I have realized that even if I tell myself I need more, I have plenty.
I am more convinced than ever that our impulses to buy more stuff are a symptom of a bigger need than we are willing to admit. And while we think that keeping stuff from the past helps us stay connected, it doesn't always do us much good packed in boxes in the basement or storage space.
But it's hard to remember that things are just things when there is memory attached to them - a picture of your best friend from college - a box of books that you read as a child - Christmas ornaments that were gifts from your grandparents - a sweater that your mother-in-law gave you that is much too big and unfit for wearing in public.
Maybe our plenty is not just defined by the amount that we have but also by the love and memories those things evoke. Watching my beloved treasures get carefully wrapped in paper and packed away in boxes each move reminds me of how blessed I am.
But as our worldly possessions are about to go on a ship or into storage, I am reminded that I am not defined by my stuff but by the way I live out love in the world. I am grateful for the relationships I make in each place I live, and leave behind a military community, United Methodist congregation and friends who laughed and cried with me, celebrated in the good things that happened, and forgave me for the mistakes I made along the way.
Jesus talked to his disciples a lot about what it meant to live out the life that God intended for us in creation. Sometimes they got it, but often then misunderstood what he intended, or couldn't dug deep enough to carry through with his lessons. At his final meal with them, he talked about what friendship is all about. He said, "This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:12-13 CEB).
It was only in after the tragedy of Jesus' death and the miracle of his resurrection that the disciples really understood what Jesus had been trying to teach them. It was only in looking forward and taking their learned lessons with them that they were able to see who God intended them to be. And the Church was born.
I am hopeful that this time of ending and new beginning will continue to be evidence of my belief and experience that God is down every road. My time here has been such a joy, and I will be sad to leave. But I also know that God is already in our new place, preparing friendship and ministry for us, probably in ways that we never imagined possible.
I ran across this quote the other day by "accident" - I think it's a good place to end today. May it be so for each of us every day.
I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. ~ Martha Washington
Peace, Deb
Jesus talked to his disciples a lot about what it meant to live out the life that God intended for us in creation. Sometimes they got it, but often then misunderstood what he intended, or couldn't dug deep enough to carry through with his lessons. At his final meal with them, he talked about what friendship is all about. He said, "This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:12-13 CEB).
It was only in after the tragedy of Jesus' death and the miracle of his resurrection that the disciples really understood what Jesus had been trying to teach them. It was only in looking forward and taking their learned lessons with them that they were able to see who God intended them to be. And the Church was born.
I am hopeful that this time of ending and new beginning will continue to be evidence of my belief and experience that God is down every road. My time here has been such a joy, and I will be sad to leave. But I also know that God is already in our new place, preparing friendship and ministry for us, probably in ways that we never imagined possible.
I ran across this quote the other day by "accident" - I think it's a good place to end today. May it be so for each of us every day.
I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. ~ Martha Washington
Peace, Deb
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