Material Belongings Research Paper

Words: 1412
Pages: 6

Material belongings: My father and mother grew up very poor. As they married and built a home with children and belongings, they found an attachment to material “things.” I find this quite the norm in most American families, working hard for their belongings and appreciating the value of what they bring to their daily lives. I left my childhood home and joined the United States Navy, having the ability to travel the world and seek out new adventures. With travel came the mental thought process and unavailable space to hold on to such belongings. I learned to live in the moment and not spend money on “things” that may or may not make it back to the United States. Military move after military move, I became less attached to the material objects that most Americans seem to cling to. After the past 10 years of working in a retirement home, my lack of attachment to material objects was reinforced, …show more content…
I understand that God gives us one day at a time and we should embrace it. Having just lost my mother in November (personally signing the paperwork for her end of life), I can appreciate the smaller things in life even more. I’ve been around death more times than one can count (working with the elderly) and there is peace and dignity in living life to the full extent. For some, that may mean added candles on their birthday cake, but for me it means the little things that life has to offer. A year ago, I almost lost my youngest son (who was in the 82nd Air Borne, Army Unit) to a failed parachute accident. I praise God for his recovery and the time we have today. I embrace the moments that my adult children spend with me. Nothing fancy, just having dinner and listening to the conversations and nit-picking that siblings produce, no matter what age they are. We love hanging out together, going to the movies, or simply playing Spades for several hours at the kitchen table. Moments so simple, yet etched so deep in my