Ode to a Salt Shaker

Simplifying life is not something I ever thought I would have to do…

When I was a little girl dreamer, I saw everything that I had as very important. The rocker from an elderly cousin, the green depression glass collected from a few generations and received as gifts, the hope chest and desk from my grandmother, the antique picture frames (even if nothing is in them) and of course the loom woven wool blankets made by someone with the initials ‘A.H.F’. Everything would someday have it’s place of course, why wouldn’t it? They had a place in my apartment, so why should anything have to change?

And then I met my husband. The very sensible person that he is, started asking questions. Simple questions; “Why do you have a salt shaker that does not shake out salt?”, “Why a frame with no picture?”, “Why save blankets that do not fit on any bed known to man?”, “Mandy, why do you have a rocking chair that is broken and uncomfortable to sit in?”
Because it’s from my grandmother, cousin, or relative. Because it’s a family heirloom, an old hand-me-down, an antique.

“But why?” He grew up in a home that was clean, homey, organized and where most everything was there for a purpose. Aesthetics had some merit but the question most often for his family was ‘does it have a use?’, ‘is it doing what I want it to?’. If not then get rid of it.

My family was not like this. At my parents’ home, where three generations have lived, there are boxes of clothes in the attic that date from the early 1900’s and furniture that goes back over 150 years. A 200 year old house full of antiques; beautiful, old, clean, and in some cases cluttered rooms are how I grew up. In many cases things were not there because they had a purpose, they were there because they had been acquired and who could get rid of something that someday might come in handy?

So my husband was challenging me. At first the questions were concerning. Why is he asking? Does he not like it? Can’t he see how old it is, it’s an antique for goodness sake!
His response “So what if it is an antique? What is it going to do for us and our life? Will it survive moving(s)? How is having this being a good steward?”

I began to think of my stuff more critically. What good was a salt shaker that won’t shake salt? None. Can we fix it? Fifteen minutes later bigger holes are drilled into the top and voila, a salt shaker that works. Who would have thought… okay, so how about the frames? No wall space any way so they go out the door. How about that uncomfortable rocker? After sitting in it to do some reading for about forty-five minutes, I agree that the rocker is not comfortable, regardless if it were fixed or not. The old desk… well, can we modify it so it can be used as a computer desk? What! Drill a hole in the back for electrical cords (cringe)… okay.

My parents have been talking about selling that big old house full to the eaves, and they know that sorting through everything will be a big job. One they are not looking forward to. What will become of those things, that stuff? I don’t know. Two things I do know are:
1- Thinking about what my husband and I have now, at the beginning of our marriage, and being critical in our (my) judgment is going to keep life a lot simpler; As we acquire more through out life, hopefully I will always be able to keep that attitude.
2- It is amazing how we have been blessed in the things we have. Considering the stewardship of those things and how we use them, I have to ask myself how attached am I to them? Do they own me? Would I be heart broken if the legs broke off of my grandmother’s desk during a move? Possibly, but I now know I will not have a melt down at that point.
The bigger question is, will my testimony for Christ be altered because I have stuff; collecting things that we really have no use for, but they make us excessively comfortable? Or will we be able to use our carefully considered possessions for the future and building His kingdom? Will our new kitchen table with six chairs be used to feed only our family of two, or will we invite others to share in our table and show them Christ’s love in doing so?

As a Christian wife, I have no interest in pursuing the comfortable life. Yes, ok, I do want to be comfortable but I do not believe that we are called to be comfortable. The Lord has given us a grace filled, forgiven life. He has provided everything we need and has given us things that do make us very blessed. But as He has called us to go and do something with it, to GO and follow a path less traveled, my desire is that what possessions we have will not hold us back, but help us move towards Him and His desire for us. And if God said to leave it all behind, leave the hope chest with wool blankets tucked inside, could I? Absolutely!

So, if you are invited to dinner at our house, please be sure to thank my husband for fixing the salt shaker.