The best 'things' in life are not 'things'

This was a wall plaque I saw on a TV programme the other day.
I love it so much.
In fact I am going to try to get one myself.
I spent a large part of last weekend tidying my room in order to fit the twins new bunk bed cots in.
As I emptied out drawer after drawer I realised just how much 'stuff' I had that I never used. A large part of it went into bin bags for The Salvation Army.
How many of the 'things' I got rid of did I really need? Obviously not as many as I thought, because they were not used in years.
Broken Cameras, old mobiles, old mp3 players, bits of toys, all expensive in their day.
What did I keep?
Old photo's I found, a few CD'S, and lots of little notes the older children had written me years ago, when it was still cool . These are the few 'things' I will look back and cherish.
A couple of months ago, my iphone suddenly stopped working. It is still unmended due to the astronomical cost.
I hate to admit it, but I suddenly realised how much I depended on the thing. The first couple of weeks were hard, not being able to contact the children so quickly, not being able to do my emails on the go, and loosing my calendar with all my events logged, not being able to text the older ones and keep in touch.
However, two months on, I have found other ways, and whilst occasionally frustrating, I don't really miss it at all.
Things!
How much of our lives to we waste wanting 'things'?
When we get them, are we totally satisfied with them, do we never ever want anything more?
Maybe that is because at the end of the day, they are just 'things'.
They don't feed us, love us, keep us warm and provide any lasting happiness. They won't help us out, look after us in our old age, and keep us from feeling lonely.
There has been much criticism of late, over large families not being able to provide all the 'things' that children supposedly need.
As far as my childcare books, The UN Convention for The Rights of the Child and just about anything else I have read are concerned, the actual things a child needs are listed as food, shelter, clothes and love.
I am quite sure, most larger families can more than adequately provide these. I am sure they can do far more than just provide these. I think our society has got very materialistic in it's out look of what we actually 'need', and rather confused it with what we 'want'.

In childcare, I do a little exercise with the girls I teach. We split the paper in two and head one side 'needs' and the other side 'wants'. They have to think about what they need to survive and lead their lives as apose to what they want. It comes as a surprise to many to see how few things we need. We then turn the paper over and do the same exercise again, except this time we head it 'The third world. We consider their needs, not so dissimilar to ours, then their wants, which are very different.
It is a valuable thing for us all to do, from time to time.
To reasses.
To realise that the people around us can provide us with a lot of our needs and most of our wants.
They can fill the days with happiness, company, companionship, love, security, warmth and friendships. They will help us, care for us, and look after us. They will in fact do all the 'things' that 'things' cannot do.
There is a bible verse that says not to store up your treasures on earth, how true, we can't take them with us when we die!

All photos taken around Salzburg , Austria in August 2008.