I am still cleaning out drawers filled with papers and stuff that haven't been looked at in years.  I had five plastic containers in my garage (which I keep pretty empty) that were from my mom and dad's house.  When they died, my brother Bill was in China.  My sister Lisa was working full time in Tulsa.  So I got to be the one to clean the house out.  What a mess.  There are so many things that I didn't know what to do with.  So I threw out what I knew no one would want.  I sent all the clothing to a half-way house, and all the furniture etc. to the Methodist garage sale for missions--a good cause.  What was left, I put in those plastic containers and never opened them again.  I didn't know what to do with it, but couldn't throw it out because Bill or Lisa might.  That's been at least fifteen years ago.

Well, Sunday, I cooked a turkey, (I am emptying the freezer) dressing, giblet gravy, etc.  and had everyone over for dinner.  And when we were done eating, I sent my son Scott to the garage to bring in those five containers.  And then I told Bill and Lisa that I was going to throw the containers out without opening them--not exactly the truth and they knew it--if they didn't go through them.  So they did.  They sat down on the floor and cleaned them out--and were both glad that I had stored the things that were left in them for so long.

There was a biography that my dad had written of his life.  Some Goofy comic books.  Pictures.  My grandmother's diary, and tons of other stuff.  They divided it up, threw a bunch of it out, and took their stuff home with them.  I was so relieved.  I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Matthew 6: 20-21 (My paraphrase) "Don't lay up treasures on earth where things rust and moths eat them up.  Lay up treasures in heaven where neither rust nor moths can corrupt and thieves can't steal everything.   Where your treasure is your heart will also be."  So give stuff away if you aren't using it.

In the meantime, I have a few things that give me joy because they cause me to remember.  They are worthless to anyone else.  I don't think that is what the scripture is talking about.