Christmas had passed, and my Poinsettia, cheery and welcoming throughout the season, was now a sad looking stick of a plant. In a hurry to tidy up before guests came by, I grabbed the bloomless plant and put it on the shelf in my closet. I promptly forgot about it. Months later I remembered it and brought it out into the light. The leaves, full and healthy, were deep red. The Poinsettia had rejuvenated during its stint in the closet. It had just needed a dark, quiet space to rest.

My mind works a lot like that. I get an idea that swirls around in my head, changing shape many times yet never fully resolving. Sometimes the idea just needs to be stashed away in a dark, quiet closet where it can find its shape. It may even develop into something useful that I can share with others.

That’s how this blog post has come to be. I began pondering the dilemma of passing down our stuff to our kids’ and grandkids’ generations. I’ve heard that Gen Zers don’t want it! Where is their appreciation of history? Didn’t they love going to Grandma’s house and eating off her good dishes? Then why don’t they want to use them in their own homes?

That idea sat a l-o-n-g time in the dark. It’s still not resolved.

But while it sat on that out-of-the-way dark shelf, it homed in on a couple of wonderful stories that I came across. I want to share them with you. The stories are very different but they are both lovely ways of looking at our stuff. And appreciating it. The first one is a Facebook story that my friend Toni shared. The second one is a commentary I heard on The World and Everything in It podcast. Writer Kim Henderson shares about getting out the good china for her daughter’s wedding.

Story and photo by Toni McCullough

Moving Mom

For the last week I’ve been in Eastern Washington helping my mom move out of her home. It’s a huge project, 56 years of accumulated household, shop and heavy equipment. Our goal for the week is to clear out the house.

I have the gift to focus (my family may call it OCD) so I’m here to keep mom on track. There have been times when Mom wanders off into a different project than my goal for the day. Initially it was a bit of a challenge to not get frustrated with her. But that gentle soft voice in my head encouraged me to just go with it and cherish this time.

I came across so many things that I thought, “Why the heck is she keeping that?” When I asked her about those things I was blessed with some beautiful memories of mom’s life. The little things, insignificant to me, now have meaning and cherished memories. The memories that Mom has passed on to me are now my own. Memories that go back to my great-great-grandparents will live on because I took the time to slow down and just be.

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Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com

Kim Henderson: Paper, plastic … or fine china?

Click on the title to access this article in World Magazine. You can read the story or you can click on the link to hear the podcast.

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photo by Ginger Kauffman

I don’t know how your mind works, but if you’d like to take a few minutes and consider the stories I shared today, or if you’d like to ponder the question, “So, what about MY stuff?” now might be a good time to do that. Why not dig out your grandma’s tea pot, make some tea, and just think. You might be surprised that a concern that’s been swirling around in your head is beginning to find some resolution today. Or Pandora’s Box may have flown open and you need some time to jot down your thoughts or start a to-do list.

If you have anything you’d like to share with us about your own experience when it comes to our stuff, feel free to leave a comment. We’d all love to hear it. And share the post on Social Media or with a friend for whom it might be helpful.

Thanks for reading today.

Ginger

• Toni McCullough restores dolls at her business, Arlington Doll Rescue. Her exquisite workmanship and love for her craft show clearly in her finished dolls. Check out her website.

• The World and Everything in It podcast is on my daily schedule. It is part of the World News Group, including World Magazine. Its tagline is “Sound journalism, grounded in facts and Biblical truth.”