“Never lose the opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ordinary things, tattered remains, boxes, mismatched pillowcases, old quilts, and newer seasonal items are shifted around in an effort to organize the farmhouse–the 113-year-old farmhouse. I rescue stuff with intrinsic sentimental value and vintage beauty that cannot be obtained today. With a surgical eye, I examine the accumulation of three adult lifetimes, examining what each generation values. Sometimes, people run out ot time, but their things remain. 

“There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

    a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

    a time to search and a time to give up,

In    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

    a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

    a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.”  -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Material items can create a sense of bondage. We develop deep emotional connections to material things and the fear of losing them causes anxiety. Stuff can become controlling when they shift from useful or meaningful to idols dominating our thoughts, emotions, and decisions. I am guilty of this bondage at times. I ponder the wisdom of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem, utilizing his advice to build, gather, embrace, give up, keep, throw away, gather, laugh, mend, and pray for silence and love in this endeavor. 

Pray Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Do material things have too much control in your life?