Spirituality, Simplicity & Serenity

Thought for the Day:
'Even when trouble surounds us, God will never leave us alone.' - Jan Leary (Georgia)

Simple Abundance
'Out of clutter, find simplicity.' - Albert Einstein
Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote about spring cleaning for the month of May. Here is an excerpt for today's date: "After a morning spent sifting and sorting through the beautiful, the useful and the useless, I glanced around our living room floor. It resembled an archaeological dig with small stacks of artifacts all separated according to their domestic categories. I woundered what a late-twentieth-century anthropologist considering the juxtaposition of junk and precious mementos would tell the world about the woman. As I wandered through the rooms of the house, I began to search for the common thread in the lives of the world's great spiritual teachers and traditions: Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Lao-Tzu, The Hebrew prophets, The Moslem Sufis, The Catholic saints, The Hindu rishis, The Shakers, The Quakers, The Amish. They all embraced simplicity. Spirituality, simplicity and serenity seem to be a sacred trinity; three divine qualities of the orderly soul."
Sarah is inspiring me to get off my duff and attempt to de-clutter my humble abode. Simplifying is liberating! Sometimes it's hard to get rid of stuff. But I make three piles: keep(has to be beautiful, useful or sentimental), give away(if I don't use it or wear it, might as well give it to someone who will!) and throw away. I try to read the current month's magazines and get rid of them before the next ones arrive. It's a slow, tedius project, but there's hope! I can actually see the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel." So if I can do it, there's hope for hoarders and collectors everywhere! And I have to give credit to my boss too. She's the one who turned me on to the Simple Abundance book. And she's the one who gives me all the wonderful decorating/interior design mag's and Sotheby's cataglogs when she's through with them. They're chock-full of innovative ideas and beautiful things which inspire me and help jump-start my imagination! Oh and I musn't forget my honey! He is always encouraging and supportive of me. So ya'll keep those creative juices flowing and good luck!