Out With the Trash and Debris

Trash! It does accumulate, doesn’t it? Before we know it, we have caches of stuff that we don’t use any more, but we hold onto it with a feverish grip born of familiarity. Sometimes, we get so used to it we don’t even see it any more; it’s just part of the scenery.

Yesterday, I watched junk that had lived within the dim recesses of garage and storage building for, lo! these many years! take its final ride to wherever the city takes it. It was interesting. If a youngster had been in the house, I’m sure he would have stood at the window watching that huge scoop open its metal jaws, pick up dusty, rusty, broken stuff and drop it into the truck. As it was, Nemo’s only interest was barking at the loud noise.

It would be nice, wouldn’t it, to trash old, negative habits, painful memories, harbored hatreds, a judgmental spirit, jealousy, greed, and a few other unlovely things and just cart them off into oblivion, never to be heard from again. I think, however, getting rid of actual, physical junk is much easier than shucking the trashy stuff of ideas, attitudes, and life styles. This is hard, but it is doable. It is what Christmas hope and New Year’s resolutions are born of.

Yesterday, my grandson’s class at school presented a program of Life in the Elizabethan period. If you want to be uplifted, energized, and develop a fresh outlook, go to a school program. The enthusiasm and joy are contagious. But, even in those olden days in England, people had their problems. Life was not perfect then; life is not perfect now. That, too, was encouraging. Some of those ancient problems and hurdles were devastating, but they persevered. So should we.

Sometimes, I feel sort of like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when he penned these words: 

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

But, that was not the last verse of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. These are the words that came after:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Today, I hear words and accusations, counter-accusations, unrest, greed, jealousy, destroying lives. I don’t hear much of Peace on Earth. That wouldn’t make a good news story or headlines. I don’t hear much about forgiveness and second chances, but those stories are there too. Only thing is, I don’t believe we are able to get rid of all the dross and trashy stuff without a spirit of peace within. Only the Prince of Peace can do that. He is still here but He speaks with a gentle voice and no one hears Him above the clamor.

This year, 2017, will end in a few weeks. What a good time to take inventory, to see what needs to be thrown out and what is worth keeping. After discarding old, broken stuff I don’t need or use any more, I feel considerably lighter. I refuse to carry it with me into a New Year. I believe I’ve just made my first resolution!