I hope my new story reminds you of how little you actually need to be happy in this life. God bless you always.

It was a few years ago. I was trying to get something out of my closet but couldn’t do it. There was just too much Stuff in it. You know the stuff I am talking about. The stuff that sneaks in when you aren’t looking. The stuff you have no memory of buying. The stuff that you have no use for but can’t seem to throw away. I smiled and remembered my closet back when I was a teenager. It had 8 pairs of pants, 12 shirts, and a suit for Sundays. It had 3 pairs of shoes on the bottom and a few books on the top shelf. Other than that it was empty. I had learned a few years earlier how little stuff I actually needed when our previous home had burned down in the middle of the night. We had lost everything but our lives but I soon realized that was all we needed. We were together, grateful, and happy to be alive. We didn’t really need all that stuff.

Now looking in the closet I saw that the stuff had returned. I didn’t need it. I didn’t really want it. But there it was making my closet so crowded that I couldn’t even get in. I decided then to do a Spring cleaning on the spot. I gathered up all the extra stuff that I wasn’t using and didn’t want and donated it to a local charity. When I looked at my empty closet later I smiled. I felt lighter and free. I wasn’t weighted down by stuff. I had God’s Love all around me and my own love and joy to share. And that was all I needed to be happy.

Well today I looked in my closet and saw that once again the Stuff had returned. It snuck back in when I wasn’t looking. I laughed and promised myself to do another Spring cleaning give away as soon as I could. And I thanked God for showing me so early in life that all I needed to live a life of joy was the love in my heart.

When we leave this life the only thing we can take with us are the things that will fit in a coffin. Don’t give too much of your time and money to The Stuff then. Love is all that truly matters. Love is the only thing that you take with you forever. Love is the one gift that you bring back with you to God.