Monday, October 20, 2008

Good morning everyone.

Finally our weather has turned a little cooler and is not so humid. We both worked outside yesterday on some projects. It just felt so good to be out there, not being blasted by the sun overhead.

Yesterday I even chatted with a relatively new online friend who called from Idaho and it was fun. We talked about crafts, living in small homes and gardening. I am thankful for all the friends made through forums.

This morning I got a newsletter from Terry Hershey. 'He is an inspirational speaker and author who reminds us to slow down and Embrace the Sacred Present.' His web site can be found here:
Terry Hershey

Since I've mentioned decluttering and getting rid of stuff, the following piece from this newsletter seemed right to start off the week.

FlowerLady

******

Sometimes in life we have to become less to be more.

We become whole people, not on the basis of what we accumulate,

but by getting rid of everything that is not really us,

everything false and inauthentic.

Harold Kushner


3 comments:

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Flowerlady. Love the rose photo. My roses are looking good now that the weather has cooled.

I'm not sure I agree with Mr Kushner. I've noticed a lot of folks with clutter are people who went thru periods of hardship. Refusing to throw something away that could be useful in the future is a pretty common trait. Waste not, want not.

Going out to purchase clutter is another symptom all together;)
Marnie

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I agree with you about some people with clutter are those who went through some hardships.

There is nothing wrong with refusing to throw something away that could be useful. Instead of throwing things away though, as so often happens in our society, you can donate them to thrift stores, give them away, or sell them.

Sometimes we put things out in our driveway with a FREE sign on them. It feels good to lighten our load and to give away something someone else can use.

I believe Mr. Kushner was speaking not just about our 'stuff', but our thoughts and what makes us the way we are, the way we live our lives.

We are all unique individuals, growing at our own pace. Every day is new and hopefully we will see and learn things that will help us on our journey.

FlowerLady

Val said...

I like that newsletter excerpt a lot, Flowerlady. I've written about this before, but in late 2001 after a year of losing people and places and a job and things (stolen from storage in last apartment) and relationships that had meant a lot to me, I realized one day, "My gosh. I've lost all of THAT this past year, but I'm still Val. I haven't lost myself. I still have what matters." And as soon as I realized that--that no matter what else or who else I ever lost, that as long as I was still someone I loved and respected and took care of, that I'd be fine--I stopped worrying as much about loss and stopped trying to hold on to so many things and so many relationships and "things" so tightly. That turned out to be one of the best things about that horrible year. Actor Sean Penn once said in an interview that after his home burned down, he had to start over--he had no possessions, no history/souvenirs of anything, no clutter of any kind--and it was, to him, the most liberating thing he'd ever experienced. I can see that.

And that's a lovely rose. :)