Do I REALLY need this?
Sifting through my clothes and belongings for the umpteenth time gets old and frustrating. My attempt to strategically pack for yet another move is a struggle. I’ve gotten quite good at it and each relocation involves shedding a fair amount of “stuff”. But I focus a lot of attention and thought on sorting-out what I like, what I might need, what I should get rid of, what’s easy to pack, what needs to find a good home and what will be saved and stored. There’s a seeming dissonance between the vow of poverty and this process of meticulously inventorying and prioritizing lots of belongings. And then I ponder the prioress’ recent letter about itinerancy—the Dominican call to itinerancy and the different ways that we are each sent. The forced itinerancy of our sisters in Iraq, for example. Those ready to “journey to a new place of encounter” in great and difficult ways. Small nudges like these help me maintain perspective ab...