JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF ART BY PAUL T. BOECHER

Diving into the waters of downsizing is something we did almost eight years ago. Once more we’re faced with wading through years of accumulating, creating, saving, hoarding, whatever you want to call it. As we slowly took step by step to the upstairs of our old home, we were facing odds that we might not make it. Doing steps isn’t in our mindset these days, so we had to sit down to catch our breath, before we made any kind of a dent in ridding ourselves of stuff. While doing that, my eyes drifted around the living area up there.

I had not been upstairs in quite a while, so you can imagine the condition of a space which has been basically uninhabited for the last two years. Cobwebs were visible in the corners and on the ceilings, creating a net of glittering silk. Dust had collected on everything, since a major highway renovation had taken place during that time as well. In spite of all that, I was reminded why we bought this place in the first place. We had fallen in love with the simplicity of the old farmhouse dating back to the late 1800s. Many upgrades have been made, but the house itself maintained its original charm and melancholy.

Surveying the work ahead felt like a heavy weight landed on my shoulders. Then we started paging through stacks of art, art portfolios, sketch books, journals, memories galore. This area of our house had become an art studio over time. It’s also a museum of sorts, including most of the life of the artist himself. There was advertising art, nature art, landscapes, an album of the many wood sculptures created by this man. Among the art there is a library of art and textbooks. There are nature books, a number of Bibles, and books pertaining to the Bible. There are remembrances of trips taken to Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and California. There are hunting trophies upon the wall, along with bow and arrows and artifacts from Native American cultures.

As I sat there, thumbing through all the art, (some I had never seen before,) and looking at the tangible evidence of this man I married almost sixty years ago, I couldn’t hold back the tears. God has given us a time of grace during Paul’s untreatable Cancer. We feel blessed that we can make decisions together before there is no more time. As we enter this next step, however, it makes me feel like a whole lifetime is wrapped up in the things we’ve collected over time. I know it’s all just stuff and carries very little value for anyone other than us, but it’s really hard to let go of a part of your identity.

We’ll get through this, as we’ve overcome some much more difficult situations over the years. We have a God who has already planned our lives in advance. He is in control. He has never left us, and He never will. Please pray for us as we enter this phase of our life together.

Dear, Father, God, give us strength to face what lies ahead. Help us to release things that don’t matter. Help us to grow even closer together through this process and help us hold back tears and let emotions get in the way. Amen!