More Beautiful Than Marble Countertops

I’ve been looking for a new house this fall. As I prepared my old house for sale, I extolled its high ceilings, Victorian trim, and peaceful atmosphere. Reflecting a more modern perspective, my real estate agent suggested that it was ripe for a reno and marble countertops. I admit, a shiny, two-door fridge that makes its own ice is both attractive and functional, but I’d never replace my veneer-covered fibreboard countertops. To me, they are beautiful in their simplicity.

It took me a while to recognize the charms of this old house. While I loved the reclaimed attic’s exposed beams and skylights, there was nothing polished about it. The drywall corners were unfinished, and the subfloor was uncovered. When I realized how expensive maintaining an old house was, I came to appreciate that as well as budgeting carefully, the previous owners were probably investing their money where their priorities lay – an important strategy for inner peace. I stained the subfloor to match the beams, and it served me perfectly well for decades.

Aligning our possessions with our priorities is important for inner peace.

In North America, we are bombarded by advertisements, media and pressure to have the latest gadgets and in-style possessions. This can be especially true at Christmas. But when our material expenditures don’t align with our values, like living simply or reducing our environmental footprint, the contradiction erodes our peace. Peace is putting our money where our mouth is, investing according to our values. This is rarely as big as buying a house – it plays out in our daily decisions of how to spend our time and our talents, as well as our treasure. It’s wonderful to give loved ones the perfect gift and take care of them, but generosity is not necessarily financial; at its heart, it’s spiritual.

My family demonstrates generosity in a myriad of ways at Christmas. Once year we bought a goat for a family in Africa, and someone is always taking care of the children, peeling potatoes, or shovelling the sidewalk. And isn’t Christmas really about “peace on earth, good will towards all”? This was very unexpectedly, and humbly, demonstrated by a baby in a manger. One of my favourite ways to celebrate this is by singing Christmas carols by candlelight.

May all of our choices help make “peace on earth, good will to all,” a little bit closer this sacred season.

This Christmas, my move is attuning me to the hidden costs of possessions. As I look through forgotten boxes from the basement, I evaluate each item carefully. Sentimental items bring a smile as I repack them for the move. Forgotten treasures go onto my Christmas gift list – they’re more precious than things you can buy in a store. My goal is to put as much as possible in the giveaway box and furniture bank, so that I can downsize while blessing newcomers to Canada. Why should I pay to store, or house, items that I don’t really need? I’m realizing that as long as I have a quiet corner for a prayer chair and a guest room for hospitality, I’d rather invest more money in peace than buy a bigger house.

And my next peace project is imminent – before I resettle in Canada, I’ll be spending months in Uganda relaunching a proven peace curriculum for youth. This is a volunteer position, so living simply is simply necessary. In my next newsletter I’ll share more details, but for now, I have to keep packing.

One more wish…I hope my new house has old, veneer countertops. It will help remind me to tread more lightly on this earth. My peace partner in the Congo doesn’t even have a fridge, let alone reliable electricity to run it, and he raises money each month to feed children who have fled armed conflict. How poignantly that demonstrates that what we really need is peace on earth.

May all of our choices help make “peace on earth, good will to all,” a little bit closer this sacred season.

My name is Carole, and I’m your sister.