Reduce, Refine, Simplify: Give

I was hoping for a call or email from my daughter, Owlie but the only word I heard from her today was via her column in the newspaper. I suspect she is terribly busy.

Well, it's time for me to get busy too, I've got winter weight shelvar kameez to donate and unfortunately, it's buried in the open places in the frame under my WATER BED mattress. I guess that means draining my bed. I thought we would be moving to our own larger apartment when I stuffed those spaces full, never realizing that they would be needed before then.

The truth be known, I've gained so much weight that most of these suits don't fit me anymore. I was just hanging on to them in a hope I would lose weight and because they are the best and favorites of my winter wardrobe. I have such a hard time giving up my stuff, money is easy to give, but my stuff is MY STUFF and it's dear to my selfish little heart.

I once had the most amazing dream/vision of my life. I consider it was a vision, not a dream since it had no visual images one usually associates with dreaming. I "dreamed" I was reducing, simplifying, and refining my life to its most basic level. When I had achieved this goal I raised my hands in triumph and as I did so, I was engulfed from head to toe, inside and outside in the most powerful, perceivable feeling of love that could ever be imagined. A voice said to me, "This is what it feels like to be in the presence of the God the Father. " I was surprised at the idea, because being a Christian, we are much more expressive and aware of the love of Christ, but then I realized, that all Christ ever does is call us to follow him back to the presence of God the Father.

Needless to say, that feeling of pure, perfect, divine love was the most powerful and sacred event of my life. I drifted in and out of sleep that night, each time savoring the sweet feelings that lingered. I made a commitment that whatever I needed to do in my life to realize the eternal actuality of that little preview of God’s love, I would do. No sacrifice is too great. Nothing is too hard. I have dedicated all that I have and all that I am to achieve my goal to return to God’s presence and feel that intense, overwhelming, magnificent love forever. Perfect love: not because I am worthy, or perfect, but because HE is perfect.


Well, gotta go reduce, recycle and simplify my life for the good of all involved. I’ve gotta lose some weight today, if you know what I mean. You see charity benefits the giver AND the receiver.