Taking stock

The holiday season has come and gone which included 3 family birthdays, Christmas and the New Year. Even with the best of intentions on everyone's part, the amount of stuff given and received was overwhelming. To the left is a photo of the tree on Christmas morning (please note that this did not include any of the birthday gifts!). The number of toys which migrated to our living room was so incredible that I actually did a selective reduction of all the toys. Some of them are baby toys and are not longer needed while others will be set aside and pulled out on an "as needed basis". While on one hand we appreciate all the wonderful generosity, we are very aware of each and everything that has come into the house. We are needing to do some subtraction to make up for all that addition.

But that is just a rant about the "stuff". The rest of the holiday season was wonderful. We got to spend time with family and friends and that is the best gift of all. I love that my kids are getting to know their family even though we all live so far away. We had fun cooking and hanging out. We collectively took an astounding number of photos. The bad news was that several family members got sick. This has been a hard year in terms of illness. It seems as though our family has gotten and given many illnesses this past fall / winter season. I am hoping it was just a fluke and that we all be very healthy this year.

Minimalist Holiday

Here I am again, back in the same place I was last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Back in the "Oh, crud, it is the holidays and society says we are supposed to buy each other gifts." Usually, I make something for friends and family. Nothing big but definitely heartfelt. Generally it is something edible (or drinkable). Unfortunately, this year I have not had either the mental energy or the time to even think about gifts. Gifts are starting to roll in for me and my family and I am left with a sense of guilt that I am not doing more. I swear it is not that I am a miser!!! I just struggle so much with "stuff" that I don't want to foist "stuff" on other people. Now, I have bought gifts for my immediate family - but they are things that were requested or things I know are needed. When I find a gift that seems perfect, I will buy it. It is just that that rarely ever happens.

I have been getting a daily email from a website called, "Ideal Bite". Today's "bite" was about giving gifts to people who don't need anything. Here is the link: http://idealbite.com/tiplibrary/tip.php?tip=20061215&title=For_the_. I am not posting this to give ideas for me (really - I don't need anything!) but to give ideas for other people.

Any idea how I can label my link instead of just posting the link???

Hui Neng Quote

"Your treasure house is within;
It contains all you will ever need."
--Hui Neng

Would that I could live these words! Why is it we need so many things. Things, things, things...they keep coming into my home. Some by (buy) me. What am I thinking? (Am I thinking?) Is there a drive for external things to help us ignore what we can't see inside ourselves? Does that last sentence even make any sense???

My head hurts just thinking about this stuff!

It is Christmas time (is this one word?) which means that it is time to buy stuff for each other. My DH keeps asking me what I want for Christmas and I honestly can't think of a thing. I am supposed to go on a business trip in January for 2 nights. I can hardly imagine 2 nights by myself with no children calling me in the middle of the night. Ah, bliss. That is what I want for Christmas!!! Stuff...well, I don't think I need any stuff.