Betcha thought I’d forgotten to blog today…my 15th day on this 40 day consecutive blog writing journey. Nah…it’s just been a full day that began VERY early this morning…4:00 am to be exact. (And…I’ve been a bit on the tired side ever since.)

The area where I live in Western NC boasts a rather large flea market just about 15 minutes from where we live. I’ve been there several times to look for steals and deals, but I’ve also vended there quite a bit too over the years. Today was one of those days.

Our sweet, giving, compassionate, and selfless friends – Troy and Rebecca – got up at 4:00 am also to help my daughter and me tote our stuff down to this flea market. There was nothing in it for them – they did no selling, in other words. They simply went to serve, and we were blessed indeed by their love and friendship!

After one yard sale and two flea market experiences since Chris died (not to mention all the Craigslist sales) – I can definitely say my quest for simpler living is starting to take shape. I’ve been dwindling each room down – a little at a time – getting rid of those “things” that I can simply live without. Now, let me say that I really wasn’t a packrat to begin with, so I’m talking about getting down to the basics of simple comfort.

Do I really need all of those trinkets, books, kitchen wares, decorative items, clothes, games, candleholders, tools, etc? Could the money be used to create memories with my daughter, to go on mission trips, or to support orphans? Is God pleased – I mean REALLY pleased with how I steward the resources He’s given me? Or…is it possible…even just a little bit that I could do better? He’s not asking me to live in a tent and ride a bicycle and wear the same outfit each day. But, I do believe He’s showing me areas in my life that can be simplified to have more resources freed up for His service. And…in all honesty. It’s all just stuff anyway! I would rather make beautiful memories than collect stuff.

How about you? Have you taken an inventory lately of the “stuff” God might be asking you to give up for a little bit simpler living? Oooh…that’s a tough one isn’t it? Speaking from someone that has really never been much of a “material girl” anyway…even for me, it’s tough to say “goodbye” to the stuff.

What if I need it for a rainy day?

I’ll use it someday…right?

I got it for a great deal…I’d be crazy to get rid of it.

It was a gift from Aunt Sally. Even though it’s collecting dust, I still can’t part with a gift.

Any of these sound familiar? How about just one thing? What one thing can you release today? Is there something that you’ve been clinging just a little too hard to? Is it time to say goodbye? Is God asking you to? Remember…it’s all just stuff! And, it can’t go with us when we leave this earth.

If you’re popping over today from my guest spot on Encouragement Cafe Radio – welcome! So glad you’re here!

The topic I was privileged to discuss with the beautiful ladies of Encouragement Cafe and with Carol Davis…”Living Single in a Couples World”. Hmmm… Let that title simply resonate for a few minutes. If you’re married and have been married in the “traditional” young twenties sort of way, this may be a bit of a foreign concept. However, my fellow single friends…whether never having been married like my friend, Sam at Fields of Gold (and also a guest on today’s EC program) or divorced like my friend, Carol, or widowed like I find myself…I think you might have a smidgen of an idea of what this living single in a couples world might be about.

I don’t know if I’ve simply been blind before, but this simply stares me in the face a lot these days. Culturally speaking, especially in a Christian culture, I’ve found myself recently in several situations that cater to the “couple”. It happens so subtly sometimes, but it’s there, and maybe I’m the only one that recognizes it.

It might be a women’s event where the “language” is all about couples and “our husbands” with the rare (if at all) word addressed to the single lady that might be in the crowd.

It might be in a social gathering with friends when the games that are played are husband vs. wife, and you suddenly find yourself in that awkward position of not being able to play according to the rules.

And…then I’m taken back to those recent days of being married…just slightly over 23 weeks ago. I’m sure I fed into this same dilemma where singles probably felt very alone in the couples world in which I also lived then. And now…God has allowed me to feel a dimension of that pain.

So where do we go from here?

As a single…I would encourage you to extend grace to your couples friends. They’re not walking in your shoes and can’t read your mind. I find that we expect couples to know how we feel, to know what we need, but that’s simply an unfair assumption unless we simply make our needs known. I would also encourage you to not isolate from couples. I especially feel strongly about this if you have children, because your children need to have godly Christian couples and families modeled to them.

As a couple…I beg you to step outside your safety box and “do life” with a single or single parent family. Invite them to your holiday gatherings, or just for dinner occasionally. Offer to babysit if they have young children so that they can get a little time away to “re-group”. Maybe even invite them to vacation with you, as vacations can be especially lonely times for singles.

Simply put, let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus to each other.

You are loved!