Joys of Moving, Joys of Stuff

 OH MY!! It has been 18+ months since I've visited this blogsite. For a while, I DID NOT WANT TO blog. Then, the excitement of new jobs and moving to NC consumed us as we readied and sold our Brentwood home, said good-byes, and moved to Lake Junaluska. We finally bought and moved into a house, here, two weeks ago. After a week of family house guests, it is eerily quiet. I should be unpacking the 70+ boxes in the garage but--I DO NOT WANT TO!
Moving is exciting. Moving is scary. Moving is exhausting. Moving is creative. Moving is reflective. Moving is sad. Moving is hopeful. Moving is painful. Moving is joyful. Moving is cleansing. Moving is opportunity.
The most outstanding aspect of moving this time around has been the discovery/realization of an exorbitant amount of our stuff. Unnecessary stuff. Stuff that remained unopened from the previous move from NC to TN 11 years ago; yet, found its way to this home. What's up with that?!
Living in a rental house for seven months, using only half our "stuff" and leaving the rest in storage, begs a LOUD and CLEAR question: Do I own this stuff or does it OWN ME? As I look through the laundry room door to the garage and see the mountains of boxes, I think I know the answer.
My Dad was a wee-one during the depression (late 1920's). Growing up. my siblings and I often shook our heads and tried to overlook his packrattedness and stinginess, blaming these on the "lack of's" he experienced as child.
But, now, what's our excuse? Will hanging on to these things make our lives better: things such as the kids' report cards, early artwork, piano recital programs or a trivet given us when we left a church, or a box of Christmas cards from 2010? Is the fleeting moment of joy I experience when I come across these things (once every ten years) worth the space they consume and the dust they collect?
We thought that offering much of this stuff to our children would be a good way to clean out. Surely, they would want to keep their own memorabilia but, NO, they would have nothing to do with it. "How selfish and unappreciative," was my first reaction to their refusal. But, deep down, I admire my kids and many others of their generation. They seem to weigh carefully the stuff they allow in their lives, just as they are much more aware of the earth's limited resources, recycling, re-using, etc.
Oh well... I'm procrastinating now and feeling a little more motivated to tackle the looming 70-headed cardboard monster awaiting me in the garage. May God give me the wisdom and strength to save that which needs saving and let go that which needs letting go of. Oh--and, Thank-you, Lord, for this opportunity. Use it for Your Glory.