Why does "Stuff" Matter?

Since this weekend I have been in the unfortunate position of packing in preparation for my move this weekend. And although packing and moving happen to be two things that I loathe; I have found a few benefits to these processes. Over the past few days I have found myself in the floor of every room in my house going through papers, old birthday cards, photos, and just looking through my hoards. I guess you could say that I have become reacquainted with my "stuff" and why I have it.

I will be moving to an apartment that is a tad bit smaller but also a tad bit closer to the Capitol . In an effort to downsize I have been having to make a few hard decisions. I keep reminding myself that it is all just "stuff," and "stuff," really shouldn’t matter that much. Regardless, I have, as have so many people like me, accumulated a lot of "stuff" since my last move - less than two years ago. During all of this picking and choosing I have found that the things that have to be kept, pull on my heart strings more than my wallet. In fact, if you have been in my home before I dismantled it this week, and asked where did you get this, or what is that? You might have been standing listening to a story about a certain piece of furniture's origin, or a knick knacks former home. That's just me!

So on this moving journey I am taking a few things that not only come from my past but from that of others. My sofa and living room chairs once sat in several of my Nannie's former living rooms. And although they have been dressed in new fabrics, I still see them as a gift from her. Nannie was a source of so many things for me and to be able to curl up on her sofa and read or watch a movie makes those activities a little better for me. Sometimes I wonder if she ever thought her sofa might make it all the way to Austin, Texas? But even if she didn't, it has, and I bet she would be proud to know that.

Also coming along with me is a bread box that sat on the counter in my Granny and Papaw's kitchen all my life. When I look at that box I can see Granny and Papaw moving around that kitchen cooking breakfast - a staple at their house. I remember those breakfasts, and talks of the scrabble game the night before that bled into the morning hours, or the family gathering that happened the day before. I think of good times when I see that box.

With me is also coming a table that sat in my Aunt and Uncle, Trisha and Bill's home in Washington, D.C. - a table that has now traveled many miles. On that table will come with me a box that came all the way from Afghanistan, where my Uncle Bill worked to revitalize the American Embassy there, just after the recent war began. When I see that table I think about their influence on my life and the good times that I have shared with them in their home, and when I look at that box I think about how much I have learned about the world due to their work and their travels.

A bar set from my sister, Shannon, and dozens of pictures in frames of her, Steven, Cole and Sloane. Things that have hung on my Mom and Dad's walls. Gifts from them that also have no value of dollars and cents. Things from my Aunt and Uncle, Ami and Gar - gifts from their past. Photos and gifts sent given to me by my Aunt Judy. Memorobillia from the days of Chesley and Decola Franklin Coal Companies, memorabilia from Storms Antiques, a crab ashtray here and a cane there. Things that no one else in the world might want of even like…but I do. Things that make my days in Austin more of a joy.

In yet another home, in another time, in another city and state - these "things" matter again. They matter to me because they mattered to them. These things will never keep people alive, or keep people close to me in proximity, but they do remind me of a love that has been mine. A love that I continue to share through hospitality with all those who enter my home. A love that has helped me get over every hurdle in my life and a love that will get me through this move and others. Love. Love is what makes "things" matter. It is what it is, "it's patient, it's kind", it moves mountains - heck, it even moves boxes!