By Colleen Pulley
We were taking a walk in the home and garden center of Lowe’s not long ago when we passed by the bathroom fixtures. There were at least 30 different toilet seats to choose from, and at least 12 types of toilet bowls to choose from. When we went through the garden center the selections for insecticides and fertilizers were even bigger. As we continued our walk the image of those toilet seats and all those insecticides kept popping into my mind. As we made another loop around the store and passed by them again, I took a picture of them. These visual images demonstrated the great abundance here in America.
We left the center, then made a stop at the local Target store to pick up a few grocery items. Once again, I noticed the abundance of goods stacked on shelves. One area has greatly expanded its floor space and that is women’s cosmetics. There are so many brands and products for anything a woman could desire. I looked at Leland and told him that over abundance would make a great article and he agreed.
Both Lowe’s and Target retail outlets demonstrate a great variety of consumer products. We live in a country that has been abundantly blessed. America, by outward appearances, is certainly the land of milk and honey. One of the key characteristics of America is our generosity and willingness to extend a helping hand. It is important to donate things that we are no longer using.
Let us all remember that not everyone is well off financially. For anyone, there can be times when circumstances can be difficult. For example, at one time when I was a young girl, my father got very sick and could not work. During that time, we were on welfare. It was enough to sustain us until my father was able to once again take care of his family. I will always be grateful for the assistance we received. Because of the help we received, I am always willing to extend a hand to help others.
After getting married, Leland’s career took us across the United States. At different times we lived in the east, west, and central states. Our children were born along with those moves. Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, and New Jersey. Then when we were able to pick where we wanted to live, we chose the South.
One thing that all those moves did was force us to evaluate our accumulated possessions. As our children left home, they took a portion of those possessions with them. Even so, we still have plenty of things in our home. We, like others, often add more things than we really need.
The challenge for us and others is to consider needs versus wants. What do we really need versus what we want? It is easy to keep shopping and buying and accumulating. It is harder to utilize everything we buy and maintain it properly. It would be wise for all of us to basically buy only what we need, and then use and take care of everything.
Remember, if you have an item that you are no longer using, donate it, so someone else can enjoy it. Until later… Colleen
Key Words – Lowe’s store, abundance, America, Target store, consumer products, donate things, welfare, help others, accumulated possessions, needs versus wants
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