Nicole’s e-Pistle
June 25, 2025
Greetings, Friends!
Over the weekend, my Mom and I spent an enormous amount of time clearing spaces in the house and garage to make room for the final shipment of (way too much) stuff from our storage unit in Florida. We made multiple runs to the thrift stores with donations, recycled empty boxes, vacuumed and mopped floors, and crashed hard every night! Then, yesterday, the time had finally come for the movers to arrive with a box truck of our stuff. At first, I was surprised by how little of the space on the truck bed was taken up with our things. Most of the space had been filled with the belongings of a different family, which they delivered on their way to Dalton.
I am so grateful to all of you who offered to help yesterday, but the two men had it covered! We have experienced moving guys from several different companies over the last four years, but these two really seemed to enjoy what they do. They were patient and had great senses of humor (a must when dealing with me and my mother!). They even posed for several pictures as they filled empty spaces with some of my favorite things… especially when they pretended to lounge on the settee in the library! One of them joked that the picture would go viral on social media, highlighting two “lazy” movers! They were anything but lazy.
As I sit and look at the towers of boxes in our garage (which look far more extensive than they did on the truck), I realize that all four of us have some tough choices ahead. It reminds me of the rich young ruler who approached Jesus, asking how he could inherit eternal life. He hoped that following the commandments would be enough, but Jesus told him to sell all that he owned, give the money to the poor, then come follow Jesus. The man hung his head and walked away in sadness. He had too much to let it go. Now, I am not a rich ruler, but I have more pieces of Pfaltzgraph and crystal and teacups and books and clothing… than will fit in any of my cabinets, bookcases, or closets.
As I look ahead, I know that I am not alone in my struggle with possessions (the movers had some great stories of other people’s struggles, and I didn’t feel quite so bad). I also know that the relationships I have now and have had in the past are worth far more to me than any crystal goblet or collectible literary publication. It also comforts me to think that when the hard choices present themselves and it becomes time to let go of some of my favorite things, there is someone else in the world who will find a treasure in something I have donated. I pray that my act of decluttering and turning our new house into a comfortable home will help someone else do the same for their own family. Perhaps that was what Jesus wanted for the rich young ruler – for him to experience the joy of letting go, so that others could benefit. May God give me the courage to experience such joy!
Blessings and Peace to you all!
