how much do you REALLY need?

When my husband was in about the 7th grade, he was told just after football practice had ended that his house was on fire! Still in his gear, he ran the mile all the way home to see nothing but charred embers and ashes of everything he held dear. Baseball cards, clothes, all of it--gone. When I was three, someone had set fire to our small duplex where we lived. I too, lost everything, including the stuffed panda bear I clutched as I stood by a tiny basement window, waiting to be rescued. It was sooty and smelly and had to be thrown out.

The loss for me wasn't so bad. When you're that young, you just don't understand the full impact, so you assume others will take care of it for you. For my husband however, it was different. When you are thirteen it seems as though life has ended. When would it ever be normal again? That loss forced a move away from the town and friends he had known for many years.

Yesterday, we made the decision to sell a pickup truck that, despite our care, just needed even more care. It was 18 years old, time to let it go. Yet for my husband, I could sense the fire incident being recreated. We don't have much, he and I right now, but we have enough. Yet even when the little we do have needs to be sold off, it hurts. A young gal with an uncle who knows how to fix vehicles bought the truck. For her, it was a new beginning! She had wide eyes and excitement in her smile as I showed her the keys and how to operate the truck. I could sense that she would take care of it...and keep caring for it until once more, there would be nothing more that could be done. The expense of it for us was too much but for her it was a fresh start!

This is a good time for all of us to check what we have---what is its importance? How many shoes and coats do you REALLY Need? Who can use it more? Don't wait for catastrophe to hit before you realize "it's just stuff!" Prioritize now! Downsize. in this economy, do you really need the credit card bills that so many possessions entail? Are you always lured by the latest 'buy one get one free' ads? Well, stop it! Free yourself from all that worry! Be assured, if you have a house, a functioning car and clothes as well as a full refrigerator, you have enough! Give thanks to God for that "enough!"

Thank you LORD...for the life I have now...the sound and comforting sleep last night...the beautiful and sunny morning...my family and friends that truly care...the favor, Oh God that you will grant me as I face today...the challenges and new experiences. May Your constant and abiding grace be at my side all the time. You are so good always in my life. This is my prayer to you Oh LORD...Amen! Be bold today.