Simplicity

As a little girl my mother handmade almost all my clothes. When I got older we would go to the fabric store and look for patterns in large pattern books. Together we would pick the one we liked and that she would follow to make my clothes. I recall four name brands of patterns: Butterick, McCall’s, Vogue and Simplicity. As I got older and tried my hand at making things at the sewing machine, I was drawn to the Simplicity patterns, thinking they might be easier to follow. Ha–I was fooled.

Simplicity to me suggests being unencumbered, free, basic, easy and maybe even plain or natural.

I have grown to appreciate simplicity. While I love details and often pay attention to them, sometimes less is more. I appreciate a meal that can be prepared in under an hour. I like ingredients that are not too exotic or fussy. I like to bake from a recipe that does not have too many steps and I have even become drawn to a more simple dressing style with easy to wear items and just a few accessories. Simple.

We recently painted our dining room. (I may have mentioned this in an earlier post.) The remarkable thing about the walls in the room is that there used to be over a dozen “artifacts” of some sort tastefully displayed on the four walls. I gave myself the gift of simplicity. After we painted I donated some of the wall decor and carefully put into storage a few other wall items and there are now four freshly painted walls with fewer than half of the items once hanging on the walls now displayed. It feels peaceful and uncluttered. Simple.

Oh, for a life of simplicity–peaceful and uncluttered! The Covid shutdown and slow emergence out of that taught us ways to implement and enjoy simplicity. For some of us, it was renewing and for others it was frustrating. For all of us it was definitely something different!

God teaches us simplicity. He offers basic ways of living:

I Corinthians 14:33

For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”

“IN GOD’S EYES WE ARE ENOUGH…” Holley Gerth

SIMPLE!