I.amN.otD.eadY.et children so listen up!

There was no definitive answer to who wrote the book of Ecclesiastics, but there is evidence King Solomon had some help crafting the beginning of this book of the Bible.

Solomon’s and his ghostwriters’ cumulative wisdom has deduced that man’s toils on earth are equivalent to chasing the wind.

It’s rather humorous to watch the younger generation rebrand things, ideas, recipes, etc. and run with them like they were so original when in reality “it’s all been done before.”

For example, bone broth. It’s a pretty popular trend to simmer beef or chicken bones and create bone broth a.k.a. Soup stock. Been doing that for years. Or how about the sourdough craze? My ancestors used “everlasting yeast” for bread baking for centuries. Woe be it to the wife who kills off her starter.

That being said, having cancer has prompted me to do some serious reevaluation of priorities in my life. Since I’m living in increments of three months between CT scans of my lungs and MRIs of my brain some things have risen to the top of my list of things to do before my next round of treatment. We pray that it won’t happen for a long time, but I prepare myself every day for the inevitable.

Recently, a post came across my virtual desk that put a name to my “purge.” It’s called Swedish death cleaning. A person could take that two ways in my mind. First, you are cleaning out your house, downsizing let’s say to prepare for the end. Second, you could look at it like you are killing off all the clutter in your house that keeps you from focusing on your priorities.

It’s becoming ruthless about your possessions. It’s not easy. It’s easier than you think.

I’m looking at it from a completely different perspective these days. I’ve tried giving my children the pick of anything I have in my house. At first, they took it as a big negative.

“Why would Mom be getting rid of the things she loves?”

“I’m trying to simplify my life.” 

First, I’m working on cleaning out my house so my children won’t have so many boxes of art supplies to deal with upon my death. Then, there are boxes of cards and letters, jubilee books from Wishek, Gackle and Fredonia, and tidbits of family history including a collection of obituaries, photos, sticky notes, documents and albums collected over the years. In my travels to art shows in my earlier life as Sue B. Weaves, there are art objects all over the house. There are also stones carefully selected from hikes and travels in tea tins stacked on window sills. 

I’ve made great progress in weeding out my belongings beginning with the easy-to-part-with and contemplating the “what if I need that” pile. 

That includes getting focused on a single project at a time and quitting collecting those “someday I’m going to make something with that.” My life is getting shorter. From now on, if I want to make something, I will buy just what I need for that project and not spend a penny more on stashing insurmountable amounts of yarn, paint, fabric, accessories and craft supplies to save postage or because they are on sale.

There are clothes in my closet in three or more sizes for that “what if” I gain weight? Lose weight? Need something old to wear in the garden? Well, that never works as I spend more time pulling up those old oversized jeans than I do working outdoors.

How many pairs of shoes, purses, earrings or scarves do I need?

Yikes, the list goes on.

But then, add to the list that old German-Russian frugality. That list includes

• RECYCLING LEFTOVERS so you never throw anything edible away no matter how it tastes. I had a Pinterest-fail pound cake the other day. Try as I may to salvage that under-baked-heavy-as-a-brick cake, I finally threw it away. Oh, all that cream cheese and butter.
• PLASTIC BAGS AND COTTAGE CHEESE CONTAINERS. All the plastic in the world makes me cringe and so true to my mother’s memory, I washed zip-lock bags, smoothed aluminum foil and folded it in the drawer, and saved every lidded container known to man in case I needed a disposable container. Well, not anymore. I’m finally throwing those containers along with their moldy contents away with reckless abandon.
• ANY KIND OF CONTAINERS that have the potential to become something else in the craft world. Before I throw away a sexy-shaped laundry soap container, glass yogurt jar, tea tin or sturdy box, I think, what can I make out of this?
• PACKING MATERIALS from all those home deliveries. Growing up I experienced a paper shortage. My love of paper prompts me to smooth out all that lovely brown packing paper, tissue paper, gift wrap, etc. Then, I iron it and use it for gift wrap, pattern drafting, playing with the grandchildren or roll it up and fill my workroom in case I need it.
• JARS for canning, storing and crafts. That’s right, folks. Those canning jars you purchase at the farmers market have nearly doubled in price and can be used again with new lids and bands. I may never be able to get rid of the brand-name jars, but some of those other oddities. Gotta go.
• MITTENS, SCARVES, GLOVES, AND OTHER FIBER ART. Oh dear! When I see a pattern to knit, crochet, or weave, and it doesn’t look like the model on the cover, I’m left wondering what to do with it. Should I just put it in a box and maybe attempt to sell it, which never works out? No more!
• QUILTS AND DOILIES. This category will be especially difficult. The quilts and doilies were made by my grandmothers and mother. How do you part with these things? The only move I’ve made has been to cut the most worn of these quilts and create stuffed bunnies for my grandchildren. Sigh.

Except for the German-Russian textiles, it’s been going well. I have turned my thinking around from “I might need this someday” to “Someone out there is going to love love love this.” It is an act of love and generosity to give. Trust me, I have gotten more out of it than any recipients.

It’s been so wonderful to feel joy and peace for the last six months. Every day is a true blessing. While I have felt so normal these past few months, in the back of my mind is the concrete awareness that “As the Scriptures say, ‘People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.’” 1 Peter 1:24.