Recently I have found myself wondering how important possessions are to me.  I know that various items hold different levels of significance in my life.  I think about all the items in my house and wonder what would I really miss.

Although I am not sure of the answer to those questions, I feel content with believing I could leave most of my possessions behind if necessary.  I believe after my faith, people are the most important to me, my family, friends, and people in general.

As those thoughts enter my head I look around my house and think, is there anything that would be hard for me to live without in this house?  I think about specific family items that have been passed down several generations.  As I think about my grandmother’s glasses, the hand-painted Italian bowl, and generations of family photos, I always come up with the same answer. 

I enjoy my possessions.  I enjoy them in the present.  I make an effort to use the things that have been passed down to me from others.  I put silver in the dishwasher, I let kids eat on any plate they choose, and I am also happy to give away things that are meaningful to someone else. 

I have been very blessed to receive many things that have been handed down from others.  Those items are very special to me, but they don’t define me, they make me smile.  Every time I use an item from someone I know or knew, that memory comes forward in my mind and I enjoy that moment of, remember when…  Those moments warm my heart. 

I have learned that even though items help remind us of special moments, the special memories are mine with or without the possessions.  Just recently I was given some treasures from a friend.  In this bag of treasures was a pair of Birkenstock shoes. 

The shoes were by the entryway of our house when a young teen came over.  I heard this voice say, “Wow, these Burks are really nice.  They feel different than my fake Burks.” As I walked toward the voice, I saw great joy on the face of this teen.  I said, “If you like them and are going to wear them, the shoes are yours.”  The reply was, “Really???”  The shoes were an item from someone close to me, but I don’t need the shoes on my feet to remind me of this special person.   

Things make life easier, remind us of special memories, and often bring us joy.  I find that things are wonderful to look at, use, and reminisce about; however, my happiness is not connected to those items and my life is not better or worse with or without the possessions.  I enjoy the items, but I am not dependent or tied to my things. 

My possessions are precious items that I can live with or without.  My faith, however, is something I am dependent on and can’t live without.  Unlike my possessions, I am thankful my faith can’t be taken away from me.

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