Remembering St. Teresa of Calcutta

I spent the better part of the Labor Day weekend packing as Cliff and I prepare for a move. While we moved a lot in our early years, we've been in our current home for almost 20 years now, so we've accumulated a lot of stuff. For example, one drawer was filled with tennis trophies, which I dutifully wrapped and packed. And then it occurred to me, what do I need to move these for? I never look at them and I don't plan to display them. So I unpacked them and tossed them in the trash; I felt no pain in doing it. So much of what we keep is like that. It might spark a memory, or we think we might shrink back into it, or we imagine that someday we'll find a use for it. My entire basement is filled with that kind of thing.

This was brought home in a big way this past week as I've watched the residents of Houston, struggling just to get out of the way of the water flooding in as a result of Hurricane Harvey, never mind being able to save all of that accumulated "stuff" that make up a life.

By contrast, the weekend news also included pictures of Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh from Myanmar, trying to escape the violence in their villages. Everything they owned they carried on their backs, and it wasn't much. They were simply getting away with their lives.

Years ago my newly-married brother and his wife lost everything when their home was destroyed in a tornado that tore through Andover, Kansas. My sister-in-law barely got out in time, leaving behind all of their as yet unopened wedding gifts. When I asked my brother what he needed he laughed and said, "Well, you can't say I'm a guy who has everything!" Except that he quickly realized he did have everything he truly needed - a good job, a wife he loved and a community ready to help.

Today, September 5, marks the date that St. Teresa of Calcutta died. She lived her life without accumulating, choosing instead to simply serve. As I pack the things that I think I need in my new home, I hope I can keep her in mind, downsizing, simplifying and instead, gathering in and giving back love.