Enough

If you have spoken to me in the past five year's,  you might have heard me say that I am intentional about  shedding the spirit of scarcity. 

My very first change began around Christmas time. We decided to purchase less stuff and to be very intentional about our gift giving.   Five gifts - something to wear,  something to read,  something you need,  something you want,  and something to play.  That was the first year my kids said,  "I don't really need anything. "... and my heart grew three sizes that day. 

And after that Christmas,  I built on that momentum.  The word I chose to shape that year was simplicity.   I wanted to do more things intentionally and with simplicity.   

Then I got rid of a lot of stuff.  Stuff that was no longer meeting our needs.   So much stuff - toys,  clothes,  nic-nacs, trash,  etc.   It all left my house. 

And I felt lighter, less burdened, and  more engaged more with my life.   It was fantastic. 

And then my family started changing.   The house became quieter.   A refuge from the world.   We shifted in our interactions, relaxed more and played more with each other.  

Simplicity and less stuff made life more rich. 

And finally, in the quiet of reducing  and simplifying, I learned that I had been burdened with a spirit of scarcity.   This spirit 

of scarcity tricks you into believing there is not enough... not enough money,  not enough time,  not enough stuff.   And so you chase more money, more time, more stuff.  But the truth is that the chasing is a rat race - an endless maze of turns that frustrate and buries true peace.

When you shed scarcity,  it is easy to see a new space,  even if you haven't moved.   In this new space we have enough,  we soak in more of our abundance.   We can go look at pretty stuff and leave it at the stores for other people to see.   We are satisfied with what we have.  

It's not always perfect.   Old language and habits sometimes creep back in.  But in the quiet,  stillness of the morning,  when the whole house is lying in rest - I lay in bed and am grateful for all of the abundance  that we have.  

I'm grateful for my family,  our home, and our stuff.  

I'm am grateful for the journey, walked intentionally in the same direction toward simplicity. 

I'm grateful we have enough.