During the past few months, I have been doing a gradual de-cluttering of my home…taking pictures of items and sending them to my children with the caption ‘are you interested’…. I think I unknowningly have given them cause for concern as they both asked if I was ok at our last family dinner.

I explained that after having to pack up my own Mother’s house, I did not want them to have to contend with the same issues I had ……so……I was putting my house in order.

‘The process of facing and selecting our possessions can be quite painful. It forces us to confront our imperfections and inadequacies and the foolish choices we made in the past.’

‘There are three approaches we can take towards our possessions. Face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die. The choice is ours.’

(The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying – Marie Kondo)

As I was reading this book, I could not help but make comparisons to life and just how cluttered and difficult we can make a situation when all it can often take is the simple approach of love, faith, and hope.

We hold in our hearts, minds, and body the memories of those we love and for me it does not take a box full of pictures or items to remember the times shared, the moments filled with love and laughter……and hope.

“I hold these in my heart always.”

 I suppose the best gift or possession is the love and presence you give and receive and coming to that point in life that these gifts fill all your needs.

Mary Potter showed us in her last moments with her son what was truly the greatest gift she could give him…. herself fully present to him.

 Let Mary’s Own go forth upon their mission of love; let them spread love wherever they go. (Venerable Mary Potter – Loves in the Heart of Mary)