Useless Things

Mary awoke with the first thunder clap and sat up in bed when the bright lightening flashed through the closed blinds. Then it came. The rains poured down heavy at first then fell quietly like the sounds of a shower.
Mary laid there a little miffed at first trying to decide if she should get up and do something or sleep. Weariness won out. She had worked all that day with Carolynn’s help pricing stuff. Everything that was in that garage was out in the yard. The last thing Mary had done last night before sitting down to relax was drag up all the boxes of “things” from the basement.
She thought about them now as she lay there. Mary was glad she hadn’t opened up all of them and left them sitting there. Albeit, the cardboard boxes wouldn’t have protected the items much from the rain, they did more than if she had of unwrapped them and left them open to the elements.
It didn’t matter much anyways as Mary was sick of all these things. She had realized while watching a show the other night on hoarding that though she was neat and tidy about it she had hoarded a lot of stuff. It bewildered Mary how much stuff she had collected because over time she had boxed it up and put it away. It was: out of sight out of mind.
And she was almost out of her mind! She couldn’t believe all the useless treasures she had collected. Ugh! They weren’t so treasured now! However, the one bright light in amongst all these objects was the old pictures she took out of the many frames she was disposing of. Two were very dear to her; one was of her mother in her wedding dress taken in the 1940’s and the other was from her childhood. Mary would have been 7 years old in this 1960 picture. She stood behind her mother and brother making faces. In the picture were also her two sisters on either side of their big old blue Studebaker. They were standing in the driveway of their tiny brick house in Fort Erie.
Mary yearned to share the wonderful warm memories attached to these photos. Both of her sister’s birthdays were coming up so Mary thought she might send them each a copy. Robin happened to be leaning over her and looking at the photograph. He was delighted when he saw the picture that needed a little restoration. Robin loved fixing up old pictures like this one which was stained, spotted or had crease marks. He would take it and fix it so it was just beautiful. Robin had done a few repair jobs for Mary and she was always in awe of his work.
After their discussion of the photo Mary drove Robin to work and came home and looked more carefully at the damage to her possessions. It was making her sick to see what she had once cherished now sitting her ready for the garbage. A glance at the water damage done to clocks, framed prints, and many other items filled Mary with disgust. Mary also realized how depressed having this stuff sit out here really made her. All her past need for comfort had been spent purchasing these many items. She had surrounded herself with pretty things that distracted but only for a short while. Then she would tire of them and pack them away to make room for more goodies. Mary never had lots of money but the little extra she had went on these cutesy little trinkets.
Now she just wanted to get rid of them as it was time. God had started this healing process by giving Mary the grace to close up shop and get rid of all those books and journals that somehow held her captive. She felt a new freedom already with them gone. However, these others “things” needed to go. She was anxious for this. She couldn’t wait for the sale to be over with so she could pack up all that lie before her and dispose of it. Her friend Carolyn wanted Mary to give some to this person or sell it at a flea market but Mary just wanted to be free of it.
Tomorrow could not come soon enough and Mary was glad of that. What upset her was the latest weather report that came. It indicated that
“Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds possible later this afternoon into this evening. This is an alert to the potential development of severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements. If threatening weather approaches take immediate safety precautions.”
“Oh God” thought Mary, “what next”? And in her head she had a visual of the destruction in her backyard. She could envision everything thrown amuck and having one big mess to clean up. “But perhaps,” she thought to herself,” there is a lesson in this that I am to learn.” Mary wasn’t sure what the lesson was, maybe all she was to learn was an awareness that was growing inside her that she never would spend so much money or time investing in useless things again.
The day progressed and despite keeping herself busy cleaning house and preparing for dinner Mary’s mind kept going back to the stuff outside. Because of this distraction she kept reminding herself of a scripture she had heard the other day. Mary realized that God had brought it to her mind conveniently to hold it up in warfare in this time of stress. She kept repeating over and over the words of truth that the righteous “do not fear when tribulations come, because they are steadfast trusting in the Lord”. Mary had read that earlier this week from some Psalm. Little did she know when she memorized it that she would be repeating it to herself so soon or that there was going to be a moment of stress so imminent!
Outside her window Mary could hear the thunder in the distance – like the noise from a bowling alley. She had to go and pick up Robin and she thought she better leave earlier. Outside the clouds were dark. Outside were the things.