We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (NLT)
My husband and I have a “memory jar” that we have been keeping since 2014.
It’s just a jar where we write down things that we did, drop in ticket stubs or small things from an event we attended or trip we took.
There is nothing valuable in there, just reminders of the times we have during the year.
It’s a lot cheaper than buying souvenir type things every time we do something, and it helps keep me in check from grabbing the “dust collectors”.
I finally went through my mother’s clothes, cassette tapes, pictures, books, and miscellaneous stuff I stuck in the attic and let it go.
I don’t know what compelled me to keep that stuff, we can’t take it with us when we die as clearly stated in this verse in Ecclesiastes.
I am certain that my kids will have no use for the cat picture that I drew in the 3rd grade that currently resides in a box in the attic.
These are just “things” and maybe they do or maybe they don’t “spark joy” (thanks, Marie Kondo) but the joy is usually a memory associated with the item.
Memories are far better than “things”, they don’t clutter the house, and you don’t have to dust them..
I want nice things; I work hard for the nice things that bring me joy.
But in the end, will there be more joy in my “things”, or will I have joy for a life well lived, a life full of friends, a life where I shared the love of Jesus with everyone I met?
That is something that we can take with us.
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