Tis a Gift to Be Simple
Our mission call and assignment in the Illinois Nauvoo
Mission has changed me in a way I didn’t expect: Life is so simple. I don’t
need much to make me happy, because I already am happy; content.
We don’t need very much. We live in an old (very old!)
one bedroom, one bathroom, furnished home (furnished with everything except linens and food). I forgot
what it is like to rent and have someone else worry about maintenance. Though I
love being a homeowner, it is liberating to have some time free of the responsibility
of the upkeep of a house (thank you, Kerry and Luanne!!). We spend SO much less
money than when we are home!
Mission life has taught me more about simplicity. Christ’s
earliest missionaries were told to go out and preach the gospel without purse
or scrip (money bag or food bag), in other words, exercise faith that your
needs will be met, consecrate yourselves and drop every other concern. This has
helped me realize that everything I “own” is just being borrowed. I can pretend
stuff belongs to me exclusively but I have to “give it back” when I leave.
We have a mission exchange where missionaries drop off what they
don’t need or want anymore and then someone else comes along and picks it up.
This is also called the “Missionary DI” and it can get quite a lot of stuff in
it when several missionaries go home at the same time. This reminds me of how I
used to wish there was a way to store my stuff at someone else’s house, or in a
common location where I could get it when I needed it and then have it out of
my life, until the next time. I only use
my vacuum once a week (or less), so why do I let it occupy so much space in my
house? Of course, I would always want
the item when I needed it and not have to wait until someone else returned it…AND
I would want it to be in perfect condition. The flaws in my plan are obvious, I
know. When the kids were young I thought it would be fantastic if there was a
toy library. When your child got tired of a toy you returned it and got another
one (except my kids seemed to play with all their toys at once, crossing
genres, with Barbie sitting on a Lego couch, etc.). Ah, the paradox of simple living and having
everything you thing you need!
We were required to watch a few hours’ worth of safety
videos as part of our mission training. They were quite entertaining but had very
real incidents involving missionaries. Now I am extra sensitive to potentially
hazardous situations around me. For example, we live in a very old home (part
of it is 176 years old) and as “renters” we don’t have control over electrical,
HVAC or plumbing systems, or the quality of the roof and gutters or the leaky
foundation, dead animals in the attic, or perhaps even mold. Am I contradicting
what I said above? Well, when you give up the responsibility of homeownership,
you also give up some measure of security. I am now a bit worried about rodents
chewing on wires and some night being awaken by a fire alarm. We have our
little tiny windows, which are painted shut, with the emergency ladder nearby
(and a chair to break out the window) to allow for our escape. So, in my preparedness
and paranoia, I have figured out what I would need to “rebuild” my life if
there is a fire in the middle of the night:
- My husband
- My purse (with my car keys, wallet and phone inside)
- Shoes
- Pants and a shirt (or pajamas)
- Vital information file (including internet usernames and passwords)
- External computer hard drive
All these things are within 8 feet of me and can be gathered
in less than 30 seconds…well, assuming Bruce wants to come with me, too. After
I squeeze out the widow, avoiding shards of broken glass, and shimmy down the
emergency ladder, I will have my companion, the ability to drive off and pay
for a hotel and food, communicate and be sort of dressed. Pretty simple, eh?
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| Every time we get a decent rain, water comes in through a patched hole in the basement wall. |
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| Sometimes water even comes through the cellar door. This is 24 hours after the storm. |
Easter Tulips in the Women's Garden
Few words from me. Just enjoy the flowers!
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| This picture just MUST have a caption! |
