It was several years ago. A leg had broken off one of our dining room chairs and couldn’t be fixed. I carried it into my bedroom to shove in my closet until I could throw it away later, but it wouldn’t fit. Every square inch of my closet was stuffed with stuff. My children’s closets were just as full.

The walls around our bedrooms too were lined with boxes and storage containers. It was then that I realized that I had become a mini-hoarder. The old saying kept coming to my mind: The more things you own, the more your things own you. I made the decision then to begin what would later be known as The Great House Cleaning.

I decided that if I didn’t need something in my everyday life or if it didn’t hold memories of love and joy for me that it had to go. First my children and I filled several garbage bags full of broken furniture, torn clothes, non-working appliances, and trashed toys. These were hauled to the local landfill.

Next we gathered up the good stuff that we no longer needed. There were piles of clothes, boxes of books, toys, knickknacks, and assorted electronics. We loaded up our car and donated them all to local charities. When we were done I suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and at the same time I felt a wonderful joy filling my heart.

Since The Great House Cleaning I have done my best to live simply and not collect too much stuff. I continue to donate everything I don’t need to help out others who do need it. It never fails to bring me a feeling of happiness and oneness with God when I do.

Mother Teresa said: “The less we have, the more we give. Seems absurd, but it’s the logic of love.”

Live logically then. Live lovingly. Trade your junk for joy. Trade your stuff for simplicity. Give, live, and love. Remember God’s love is all you need in this life and the love you share is all you can take with you into the next.

Joseph J. Mazzella