The Citizen, 2019-10-31, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019.
By Ernest Dow, Exec. Pastor,
Huron Chapel EMC,
Auburn
Me? A hoarder? Surely not!
But the evidence was clearly
stacking up against me. Since I
remarried in August, my new wife
had been helping me prepare my
former residence for sale. This
involved clearing away the
accumulated possessions of 18 years
in my current location. Not to
mention the belongings of four
grown children who had sprouted
wings and flown to start their own
adult lives in distant locations or the
added belongings of my late father
and father-in-law who had been
forced to downsize in their move to
long-term-care homes.
The result: a whole heap of clutter
needing to be cleared in order to put
the house on the market. A lot of
clutter.
I had never thought of myself as a
hoarder: I had visited an old
bachelor once who sat surrounded in
his living room by piles upon piles
of newspapers and magazines and
what-have-you. That was clearly
excessive, a disorder. But me? I
vacuumed and kept up to the dishes
and did the laundry – so I was
clearly not in the same category.
Until the mountain of evidence
started to convict me otherwise:
• Dozens of old toner and ink
cartridges waiting to be taken to a
suitable recycling spot
• Cases of old pens (fountain and
otherwise) whose cartridges had
long ago given up the ghost
• A bushel of used mailer-
envelopes with that plastic bubble
lining inside
• Dozens of pairs of used shoes
left from family members who no
longer inhabited this address
Even more telling is my reaction
when confronted with these stacks of
evidence – the standard, “Well, that
might come in useful someday!” or
when my multiple cartons of
chocolate chip cookies are pointed
out – “They were on ‘reduced’ so I
figured I’d better stock up!”
Old habits die hard. While I can
attempt to blame it on past history
(my parents’ patterns or, subsisting
for years on a half-time salary), I
must ‘come clean’ and admit my
need of help in this area. I need a
change of heart, of attitude – else if
you were to put me in an absolutely
spotless place, before long, my
imbedded patterns would have
cluttered it all up again.
The International Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder Foundation
lists three criteria to define
‘hoarding’: A person collects and
keeps a lot of items, even things that
appear useless or of little value to
most people; these items clutter the
living spaces and keep the person
from using their rooms as they were
intended; and, these items cause
distress or problems in day-to-day
activities.
According to this group, signs of
compulsive hoarding include:
difficulty getting rid of items; a large
amount of clutter in spaces
(including storage units) that makes
it difficult to use furniture or
appliances or move around easily;
losing important items like money or
bills in the clutter; feeling
overwhelmed by the volume of
possessions that have “taken over”
the house or workspace; being
unable to stop taking free items,
such as advertising flyers or sugar
packets from restaurants (those little
shampoo bottles in hotels are my
favourites); buying things because
they are a “bargain” or to “stock up”
(is it even possible to have ‘too
many’ chocolate chip cookies?!); not
inviting family or friends into the
home due to shame or
embarrassment; refusing to let
people into the home to make
repairs.
The consequences of hoarding, it
points out, can be hazardous.
“Severe clutter threatens the health
and safety of those living in or near
the home, causing health problems,
structural damage, fire, and even
death. Expensive and emotionally
devastating evictions or other court
actions can lead to hospitalizations
or homelessness.”
Also, there can be conflict with
family members and friends “who
are frustrated and concerned about
the state of the home and the
hoarding behaviours”.
It may be that there’s a misplaced
sense of security for the hoarder.
Do hundreds of books and dozens
upon dozens of old videotapes
somehow bolster my sense of safety
and significance in this world?
In what am I really placing my
trust?
Jesus once told a story about a
certain farmer who had a bumper
year in terms of his crops. What to
do? He concluded, “I will tear down
my barns and build bigger ones, and
there I will store all my grain and my
goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You
have plenty of good things laid up
for many years. Take life easy; eat,
drink and be merry.’” But what was
God’s estimation of this man’s
approach? He called him a ‘fool’!
That very night he would die – then
the abundance the farmer had gained
would end up going to another.
(Luke 16:12ff)
Christ equated this worldly
approach (storing up things for
oneself) with spiritual poverty; He
said such a person “is not rich
toward God.” In fact, Jesus’
emphasis in telling this story was to
warn His followers against such a
materialistic approach to life. “Be on
your guard against all kinds of
greed; a man’s life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions.”
In short, I’ve got to realize my life
is not about “stuff”. Sooner or later
the storing up of accumulated goods
can begin to squeeze the spiritual life
out of us.
At root, the tendency to hoard may
be based in fear. Fear of running out.
Fear of what might happen
tomorrow, the paycheque
disappearing. Fear of not being able
to earn my way. Perhaps some of
these attitudes were subtly induced
from my parents who survived
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph’s
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
huronchapel.com huronchapelkids.com huronchapelyouth.com
519-526-1131 ~ 119 John’s Ave., Auburn
Evangelical Missionary Church
9:30 a.m. Sunday School, 10:30 a.m. Worship
Pastor Phil Delsaut
“Following Jesus: The Blessed Life” (Mt.5:1-16)
Communion Sunday November 3
Tuesdays 7-9 p.m. Celebrate Recovery
Wednesdays 6:30 - 8 p.m. – HEIRBORN (JK-Gr.6) & YOUTH GROUP (Gr. 7-12)
Sat. Nov. 2, 7:30 a.m. Men’s Breakfast
Nov. 22-23 “GENERATIONS OF FAITH” Conference - Brett Ullman
Office Hours:
Thursday ~ 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
blythunited@tcc.on.ca
Accessible
Sunday, November 3
Blyth United Church
Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches
OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Worship Service at 9:30 am
Guest Speaker: Trish
MacGregorDrive Thru Lunch and Supper Thursday, November 7th
U.C.W. Potluck supper Thursday, November 21st
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, November 3
at 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.
650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School)
Sunday School for children
4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers
during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service.
For additional details please contact
Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Nursery care available
519-887-6687
Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm ~ Soup & More 2
- a free community meal held in Melville’s basement, and
made possible by the Brussels churches working together.
Worship & Sunday School - 11:00 am
Coffee & Snacks following the service
We invite you to join our church family in:
BRUSSELS
United Church
Sunday, November 3
Worship Service
at 11 a.m.
Worship leader, Trish MacGregor
All are Welcome
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
The Regional Ministry of Hope
BLYTH BRUSSELS
Trinity St. John’s
9:15 am 11:15 am
COME WORSHIP WITH US!
Rev. JoAnn Todd, Rector
519-357-7781
email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca
The‐Regional‐Ministry‐of‐ Hope
St. Paul’s Trinity
WINGHAM 11:15 am
These Anglican Churches
Welcome You
From the Minister’s Study
Confessions of a pack-rat with Ernest Dow
Continued on page 10