Year Two, Day 303: You Can't Take it With You...

Beautiful sunshine!  Inhaling some vitamin D! :)

The sun is shining!

I have a load of laundry in the wash.

And I just did a quick run on the treadmill! High five to me!

I did a bit of stretching too. Most stiff am I!

 I just finished my morning prayer and devotion reading.  I was struck by this scripture in my devotion, (which is still dealing with death):

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

~1Timothy 6: 6-7

Again, I recall a recent conversation with a piano student. Her family has struggled to survive as long as she can remember. But she recently discovered she has family members on the other side of the country that live a life of prestige and wealth. 

This is a lovely woman. Single mother of two. Not only one of my favorite students, but favorite people.  My heart broke hearing her story. I have felt that way too.  I told her, "remember, you can't take it with you."  I couldn't remember what scripture that was from and I am hesitant to actually quote scripture. But here it is. In my devotion for today.

It is hard to avoid the materialistic focus of our culture. But it is freeing to rise above. Or should I say, to be content with the basics. And set our souls free!

As I continue to purge myself of things, my dream is to be free to travel and meet new people, visit old friends and reunite with family.  

Of course, there is a balance here. I discovered this in  my last move. There are books and photos and such that I will never part with.  It is nice to have my piano. I have lived without and can practice at church, at the music center and student's houses.  I have lived without a vehicle and taken public transportation and my own two feet for about 10 years now.  

But even though I like my solitude, I do realize that I cannot live without people. Connection is vital.  So as I continue to learn to live with little, and purge my  life of unnecessary things, I want to also focus on purging my soul of unnecessary things.

Negative thoughts and feelings;  doubt, worry, bitterness, envy, anger, insecurity, despair.

Then I will truly be free!

And now to go forth and enjoy the free gift of sunshine provided by our loving Creator God! 

But before I do, I must share this from my devotion book (Challenge: A Daily Meditation Program Based on "The Spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius", by Mark Link, S.J.)

"Henry van Dyke portrays death this way:

'I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. she is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, 'There! She's gone!' Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, 'There she goes!' there are eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, 'Here she comes!"

Happy Friday!

Today I focus on "kindness" (from Galatians 5:22-23).

Talk to you tomorrow!

Zita