What I'm talking about here is lifestyle, more than a house. But our homes reflect our lifestyles. I want to simplify both.
My job takes me into a lot of homes. They're as varied as the people who live in them. But once I was in a home where the hardware on the doors was worth $30,000. If you totalled up everything I own, including retirement and my car, you won't get $30,000.
(I begrudge the guy nothing. He worked for everything he has, and he has a right to spend it on whatever he wants to.)
I drove away at first thinking, "What an awesome house! What would it be like to wake up every morning there?" By the time I got 20 minutes down the road, I started thinking, "$30,000 for door hinges?? There has to be a better use for that money."
Later that same day, I kid you not, I was walking around Riverwalk and a woman asked me to buy food for her two children. I couldn't. I didn't have it to give her. The discrepancy between these two situations struck me. Hard. Bums ask for money. Hungry people ask for food.
And then came the tsunami in Japan. I've already blogged on this (see link), but I thought about all of the homes, all of the things these people worked their whole lives to build, floating in the ocean. So what's it all for?
I've been feeling miserable for a while, thinking about the things that I haven't been able to provide for my kids that I wish I could. Disappointed that I couldn't give them that white picket fence. Beating myself up because I couldn't give them the life I envisioned for them. But the truth is, we have everything that we need. Abundantly. God has given us stability, food, shelter, air, clothing, and a family to lean on. Our four walls will never make the cover of Southern Living, but it's comfortable, and we don't mind having people over to see it. My kids have friends in their schools, they're doing fairly well. They're happy. Their biggest issue is who gets to get on the computer first. We're all in church and growing in our faith again.
We are so blessed!!!
So I guess these thought processes have been leading up to one question: What do I want to work for?
More later. I have to get to work!
I couldn't agree more. I think recent events have made me start to question what I thought was important. Things, possessions, symbols don't matter and will all fall away. God, love, family and friends are what we should truly cherish. When we are breathing our last, it wont be a house or car holding our hand and whispering good-bye.
ReplyDeleteI am facing this issue right now as I am just about to start out, fresh out of college. What kind of job do I want, and what am I working for?
ReplyDeleteAunt Phyllis, you are sooo right!
ReplyDeleteLindsey: You are at such an exciting place in time! You have the whole world at your feet!! Feeling uncertain is little scary, but you can go anywhere you want to go and do anything you want to do!
I felt like that, too, when I graduated college. I think what I'm realizing is, I still have the world at my feet, too. I'd forgotten that in all of this "responsibility"! I'm praying for you!