Au Revoir, Stuff!

Here is our home in boxes, and much of it went towards the final destination of Massy, France, today. We struggled whether to ship items or to buy things when we got there, but in the end, it made more financial sense to ship clothes, bedding and a few treasured items such as some toys and pictures. Given that we are going to rent the equivalent of a tiny clown car in Europe, I do not want us to have more than a suitcase or two going overseas.

I realize that God is downsizing us in many, many ways. We say that we in the U.S. are aware of our consumerism and materialism, but I hasten to think that what we deem as "awareness" is not being lived out in our lives. I have had to do quite a bit of work in the past few months in what I thought was already an issue that I had addressed. In fact, I still wonder how we are hindering our relationship with God by keeping some of the "basics", or what seems to be a "basic" from a U.S. perspective. Lord, give me the grace to continue to let go.

Nevertheless, this is a journey, and God is oh-so-patient with us. I am filled with gratitude that this wonderful God of ours allows us to participate with Him in something that He could very well accomplish without us. Life is such a gift.

In other news, today is Bryan's birthday. Happy Birthday to the most incredibly patient, loving man in the world! I am so fortunate that our lives intersected when they did because in many ways, he brought new meaning into my life and gave me hope when all seemed hopeless.