~it seems to happen to us in May~

Stuff.

We sure seem to have plenty of it.  Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm pretty sure a big part of it for me will be spent picking up around here and moving all of our stuff to its proper and rightful location.  You'd sure think that two people couldn't accumulate that much to begin with, but we have.

By this time last year, the plan for moving from Colorado to Texas at the end of the month of May was in high gear.  We were saying our "good-byes" to the sweet and dear friends we were soon to leave behind as well as visiting places that we knew we'd not see again for a very long time.  The guest bedroom had been turned into "packed box central" and was filling up quickly at record speed.  We'd already had 2 garage sales and were preparing for a third and final one to get rid of things we simply would not be able to take.  With one 20 foot rental truck and a couple of cars, the idea of taking everything we owned at the time was simply not feasible.  

By the time we finally made it to Burkburnett and found a place to live, both Mike and I wondered just how our household and personal belongings had survived the long journey over Monarch Mountain.  When we opened up the back door of our rental truck, we were thankful to see that everything appeared to have stayed where it was put.  It was nice to breathe a sigh of relief.

Since that day in May of last year, we have moved once again.  In January, we bought our new home here in town.  Prior to our move, we once again sorted out what we thought might not be really a necessity.  This time there was no need to rent a truck for a move of only 4 miles.  We had the help of dear friends and family, making the move much less painful.  There was still a lot of stuff but at least this time we only had to cross town, not an 11,000 feet mountain pass.

Mike's over 100-year old butcher block wasn't going to be left behind in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and it for sure wasn't going to be left behind in the southeast part of town.  These two young fellows helped Mike get it from the kitchen and onto the back of the trailer we were using.  It now sits in its permanent and forever spot here in our kitchen.

We still find ourselves with a lot of extra stuff around here but slowly we are managing to figure out what is needed and that which can easily be done without.  It's become much easier for me to part ways with things that really serve no purpose to me in this life any longer.  There remain still a few things that I would never give up, things like my grandmother's over 50-year old Easter egg or my record album collection from the 1970's.  There are some things that there will always be room for, no matter where I find myself living.

So for those of us who live in this "land of plenty", I guess today would be as good a day as any to give thanks to the good Lord above us for the gifts we have received.  Tomorrow as we ready ourselves to clean house, dust the furniture, run the vacuum, do the laundry, unload the dishwasher, or a thousand other things perhaps we would do well to remember that there are plenty of other people on the planet living without who wish they could do the same.  

This is Friday, the 29th day of April and the 22,101st day of my life.  For everything that I have received, for each gift that has been bestowed upon me, this day I remember to surely give thanks.

                                                   Wedding day~May 21st, 2013

Mike and I agree.  It seems like everything seems to happen to us in May.  I'm sure this year will be no exception and so far, it's all been good :)