Treasures – Temporary Or Timeless?

“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.”

Anthony J. D’Angelo

When I was 12, I flew all by myself to Minnesota to stay with my Grandma and Grandpa Miller in Minneapolis. While I was there we visited my Uncle Wes and Aunt Carol who lived in a more rural area north of Minneapolis.

While bailing hay with Uncle Wes and my Grandpa. I found a moose shed – the antler of a moose that had fallen off for the season. I took it from Uncle Wes’ farm back to Minneapolis and on the airplane back to Philadelphia. The moose antler has gone with me from Mt. Holly, NJ to our first house in Schwenksville, PA and then to our second house in Schwenskville, PA. I haven’t seen it for a while, but it did come to my mind a month or two ago when I received word that Uncle Wes had passed away. I rediscovered it yesterday as I was cleaning out my basement in preparation to move again in just over a month.

Honestly, I shed a few tears yesterday as I said goodbye to some things that remind me of my past. I said goodbye to my pennant collection that had faded away. These reminded me of my love for baseball along with some of the amazing places I visited as a kid like the real Field of Dreams in Iowa. I said goodbye to several old photographs that had collected wrinkles, creases, and dust in an old footlocker I got before my freshman year at Grove City College. One of the photos was of my housing group, AEX, as we posed for a Christmas photo in Harbison Chapel in December of 1993. These along with many other items were a reminder that I am extremely blessed…EXTREMELY blessed!

I’m so thankful for family, for friends, and for all the special memories made over the years.

As my wife and I pursue this path of downsizing, I’m reminded of how temporary our stuff is. We can’t take any of it with us when we are done with this life. We must remember to hold onto our stuff lightly and hold on to the memories and invest in relationships. These are the things that matter. These are the things we can take into eternity.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus – Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

By the way, the moose shed is going to a good friend. I know he will give it a good home.