All This Stuff

Posted on Facebook September 11, 2010

 Ah, yes...Ms Betty Boop strikes again with a sassy blow of reality. From the looks of my overstuffed "stuff"...my motto has been the same... well, almost. I, too, have far too much. I, however, am the one who brought it in. So, take away the pretenses & take away the stuff, and I see that I'm guilty, just as bad as Betty Boop... only worse! Yikes! It's time to clean out the closets!!!!


Yards & yards of fabric bolted to the floor... literally!  As I swung open the armoire door the bolts of unused fabric fell to my feet, on my feet and almost toppled me over.  I'm talking full bolts of  fabric that I had collected for my house decorating projects.  Most of the fabric came from the $1 yard table, which is just almost unheard of any more, so you can understand why I purchased the full bolts.  What a bargain, and if I didn't buy it, someone else would!  That is a painful thought, indeed.  After all, I might need it someday. Yes, might.  Might not.  Might yet, but haven't yet.  And, that was five to ten years ago. 

Now the raw truth lay piled around me, and there was no denying that I have a problem, and the problem is much deeper than the spoilage at my feet.  I am a shopaholic.

There I said it, not out loud, but with a whisper.  It doesn't sound so badly that way, and it doesn't hurt my feelings quite so much.  But, the truth is that I'm good at what I do!  I recognize good buys.  I love pretty things.  And I see possibilities in most everything.  Bargains jump at me and beg to go home with me, and I can't resist.  It is a weakness of mine, and for the longest time (most of my life, actually) I considered it a strength that showed how creative I am.  But, today, I see that it's my downfall... pardon the pun.

All this "stuff" has to be dealt with.  It is time to clean out the closets, time to glean the fields, and time to start a new season.  And I believe I can do it.  I believe I can do it with as much gusto as I had while bringing it all in.  It's time to put on my big girl panties and grab the bags & boxes for all my treasures.  Just like there once was a time to buy, there is now a time to say bye-bye.  It's time to share the wealth and let someone else own the pretties.

"I want, I want, I want..." is in the back of my mind, yours too, I'm sure.  But, for me today the rest of that sentence is... "to be uncluttered, in my mind, in my house & in my soul".  I want a new start.  I do.  What about you?  What's in your way, and how would you finish the sentence, "I want, I want, I want...."?  Now it's your turn to fill in the blank.  You can say it out loud or you can just whisper it in my ear...


"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
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,
a time to search and a time to give up,
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



Scriptures from Holy Bible, King James Version
Devotional @Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges, All rights reserved!