My Sunday School class is doing a 5 week short study on the book Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity by Adam Hamilton. This book is wonderful and I highly recommend it to my THS organizing friends! The basic tenet is that simplicity frees us. It does - I've let so much stuff go over the past year and I feel so free right now! In the book, Hamilton keeps going back to the Shaker Hymn:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Since we've been studying this book I've been meditating on it while doing chores, purging and organzing. It is a gift to be simple, and it is freeing. Less stuff = more freedom. Freedom from the stress of clutter that ruled my life for 20+ years, freedom from debt; I just paid off the last of my joint debt from divorce this month! WOO HOO! Now I have a mortgage and small car payment - that's it! With freedom from stuff-itis, I will stay out of debt, and get the car paid off within 10 months.

I'm also not ashamed to "bow and to bend." I'm not ashamed to tell family and friends I don't want to go out to eat because it's not in my spending plan for the week. I'm not ashamed to tell my friend I don't want to go shopping with her becuase I have ENOUGH, but I'd love it if she stopped by to have a cup of coffee with me after her shopping. With Christmas coming up, I'm not ashamed to tell family that I have to scale back this year, including my kids.

I hope you all enjoy this little book as much as I have. It's a slim volume, quick read but packed with wisdom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Enough