Message by Dee & Lionel “Chooch” Wells
Dee:
Less is More….We’re all familiar with this term. At this time of year it’s a concept parents try to instill in their children as the youngster fills an 8 X 11 notebook page with their Christmas list.
Recalling a similar situation many years ago; my Dad’s reaction to my list was: “What are ya gonna do with all that?”
(Can’t say I gave that a whole lot of thought – I just wanted it).
Well – now as Chooch and I face downsizing – we find ourselves facing the long list of life’s possessions wondering:
What are we gonna do with all that?
Chooch:
This summer we made a big decision that created another big advent…We decided to buy a townhouse that is half the size of our current home. This created the need for many painful decisions in “downsizing” such as disposing of pictures, decorations, kitchenware, books, trinkets, etc.
We are making progress!!
Eight years ago when Dee and I married it was the beginning of a series of personal advent experiences that continues through today. We each had a lot.
We had already given a lot away to family, friends and charities, but still we filled our current home with plenty of “stuff.” The basement and garage were full…I had to park my pickup in the drive for a while. I even built a shed to hold the overflow. We’ve gradually worked down our inventory to where the house was comfortable.
Dee:
I was blessed in having friends and family who were grateful and happy to receive what I HAD to give away. Having to do with Less became a freeing experience, because you ARE forced to focus on what matters.
Another blessing: having so much bounty made me more aware of the needs of the community, of the families who have so little. I am in the process of calling organizations who would/could use what we no longer need – what we no longer have room for.
The Golden Years have been kind to both of us; we are healthy, we can get around easily, we can travel. All nice. And we certainly enjoy where we live – but our Golden Years bodies have begun to nag about too much gardening, too many forsythia to trim, too much grass to mow, too many flower gardens to tend to, too much work..
Chooch:
The advent of aging creates the need for these decisions and gives us hope that we will have less work such as housekeeping, gardening, and lawn care. Also fewer expenses and more time for church, concerts, travel and volunteering. Like the advent of Christ’s birth, we have hope.
Dee:
With this move on the horizon, we are figuring out what really matters. What is important to keep; what can we do without.
We are both looking forward to our Adventure into a smaller space requiring less work. Having to do with Less.
Sermons at St. James Gettysburg 