"little pink houses...for you and me..."

 
 
" Ain't that America home of the free, yeah. Little pink houses for you and me. Oh yeah for you and me, oh!  Well there's a young man in a T-shirt.... Listenin' to a rock 'n' rollin' station. He's got  greasy hair, greasy smile says 'this must be my destination!'..." John Mellancamp


As I sit in my little house, I look around. It has four rooms, each about the same size. I have a wonderful view of deer, many types of birds dine at the bird feeder and I have a large yard with a garden plot out back. This, to me, is paradise. I have enough.

I read a story to my nephew of a journalist who lived through one of California's many wildfires. She related how she was given fifteen minutes to gather what she needed and to evacuate. Immediately! What to bring? She took up her journals that she had written, put them in her car and headed out. When asked later why the journals, why not clothes? she replied, "these mean so much to me, I cannot replace them!"

If you had time to take just one thing with you...what would you bring? Family members, sure....pets, yes! But what else is so important to you that you could not do without it?

We live in such a materialistic society. I fear this attitude will do us in someday. When life is all about the acquiring of goods, what is left? Acquiring is all about power, greed, and the lies, hurt and pain that are involved with it. Look at the game of "Monopoly." Although in that game one doesn't lie, the end result is the same. There are winners and losers. The game of life is just like that. When I was young, my little brother and I played Monopoly all the time--ALL the time! One day, the game seemed to drag on FOREVER.....I couldn't figure out why...until I caught him slipping some of his money into MY pile! When I asked him why, he said he didn't want us to stop playing and so he made sure I never ran out of money!!! Oh my!!! hahaha His innocence and generosity is how we should all be, correct? Give so that the fun of life can continue on.

I have seen what happens when people want to amass "things" to the exclusion of all else. But in the end, it is just that--"things," and when one dies, those "things" are left behind. When forces of nature strike, such as fires, floods, or tornadoes, those "things" won't save you... I have also heard from so many who have felt that yes, we lost "things," but we still have EACH OTHER! It took an act of God for them to come to that realization!

 Treasures in Heaven Matthew 6:19-21
¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 
 Thanksgiving is just around the corner. We need to be grateful for EACH OTHER! Things will wither and corrode, but the real treasure of having God within our hearts...now that is the true key to opening Heaven's door! So...show gratitude for simplicity and when the talk around the table gets to the subject of "what do YOU want for Christmas?" analyze what you truly want...not what some commercial tells you that you "need." To want for another to have what they need is truly a gift from the heart!

Amen!