The "Right" Stuff

I walked through the house, taking my time, looking at the collections and the dark paneling.



The house was old. Well, kept, but old. By the contents the owner was obviously older. There were no electronics to speak of and definitely no gaming systems. There were old vinyl record and a few VHS tapes.





The kitchen was filled with green and orange Tupperware and glassware that was cut with jagged edges. Very little, if anything, was up to date in this kitchen. One big iron covered roasting pot caught my eye. I guessed a roast would taste pretty darn good coming out of that.



The furniture through out the house was of the same time period. Low sitting couches with ottomans and chairs in velvet coverings graced the shag carpet throughout the living room. The vintage bedroom furniture lay in pieces, waiting for someone with breath to lay claim. I doubt the set was old enough to be called an antique, but definitely not modern by any definition of the word.



I ran my hand along the headboard, wondering about the woman who had laid her head here for so long. I turned my attention to the box of scarves on the sideboard. Scarves of every color filled the box. The very items that gave her some measure of dignity had been reduced to fifty cents apiece. My heart ached for this woman I had never met.



I chose a few towels to take home to remember her by. Several kitchen, a few bath towels and hand towels made their way into my hands, and later my home. As I walked from room to room I wondered about the woman. Did she wrap this towel around her grandson after removing him from the olive green bathtub? Did he giggle when she tried to dry his underarms? After Thanksgiving did she use this flour sack towel to dry the platter that housed the turkey legs that her granddaughters fought for? Did she smile in spite of the terrible disease that was pulling her farther and farther from her family?



After I paid for my purchases, I ran into (quite literally) an elderly lady who had her hands full. She was leaving, as was I. We stood for a moment and chatted on the front sidewalk. I voiced my thoughts, wondering about the woman who lived and loved in the home that now stood empty.



The woman thanked me with tears in her eyes. She told me that the woman that passed was one of her dearest friends. She watched strangers walking around, touching the things that held so many memories and she wondered if anyone gave thought to the woman behind the things for sale. She squeezed my hand and walked across the lawn to the house next door.





I unlocked my car door and deposited my things in the backseat. I studied all the cars lined up and down the street.



One thing came to mind. No matter what we collect, or call our own, we will not take it with us when we go. I wondered if the woman came to know Christ before she died. Did she possess the one thing that would truly bring her joy?



What matters to you? Make sure your heart is wrapped around the “right” stuff. Everything else is truly stuff.



Thanks for taking the time to grow with me this Wednesday!

Darlene Shortridge, Author of Until Forever and Forever Blessed

Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com