Thankful To Have Found Simplicity

Sometimes stuff gets in the way of life.

I try to live in a spirit of Thankfulness all through the year. When I was middle class and married and raising two boys in New Jersey I sometimes forgot what thankfulness truly meant.

Leaving there after a divorce might have left me bitter, but God is great and did great things within my heart. Through that process I learned it is not the stuff that makes a life. In fact, sometimes the stuff gets in the way of life.

I’m thankful that God opened my eyes to this as I sold a small U-Haul of stuff we had collected and amassed over time. As I did this to fund my trip down to Charlotte, I realized that maybe without all this stuff in the way, that trip may have not been needed.

Since then I have embraced a lifestyle of minimalism. Or, as I prefer it, simplicity. I thank God for this opportunity to live with less each day. I have all I need and have learned to not want things until I have the means or the need for them.

One advantage of this simplistic style of living has been that in my five or six moves in five or six years, I have been able to keep what I cherish and not mourn the loss of what I may have left behind. I like to travel light.

There are many other advantages to simplicity, like the fact that I can actually keep track of my stuff. At this time of year, when many people will start hurrying and scurrying to get those perfect gifts for those that are near and dear, I have more time for reflection on why and what really happened on that wonderful night so many years ago.

There are some things that I consider my guilty pleasures. My pen collection has traveled with me in the last couple years. (I collect those giveaway pens that companies and other organizations use as advertising.) Books are another guilty pleasure. This is a throwback to the old school that takes advantage of a newer thing—the"Little Lending Libraries" that are prevalent around this area. When I collect more than I can read I pretend I'm a librarian or book store owner. Books give me comfort.

God has provided me shelter through a friend and thus I'm able to provide another friend's shelter. He  continually provides my daily bread. My clothes are basic but they cover me.

I have what I need. Most importantly I want only what I have.