Every Word You Speak has Power - Part 1 (episode 275)
This woman has a lot of wisdom to impart. Wilma Hollis is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming All that and a Bag of Chips. Here is Part One.
Her calling in life - the power of words. She encourages us to understand this.
“I need you to know that every word you speak has power, that you shouldn't say anything that you don't want to have happen in your life. You know, I'm sick and tired, I was scared to death, you know, you get on my nerves. One of the quotes I like is, if you don't seek it, don't speak it.”
We agreed that God is always speaking. “How does God speak to you?”
“How does God speak to me? God speaks to me in so many untraditional ways. You know, everyone says, oh, well, when I read my Bible, when I go to church and hear a sermon or listen to a teaching… No, I mean, those things are wonderful, and God can speak to me like that, but generally, it's in very unexpected ways. When I'm in a conversation with one of my adult daughters, scrolling - it can be anything. Someone can send me a song and say, hey, listen to this, and man, if it comes at the right time, it hits at the right moment. That was for me.”
Listen for some inspiration.
Wilma has been on the podcast before in Seek it and Speak It episode 226 and Your Life Speaks to You episode 179.
You can find her at Wilma Hollis.
Encouraging. Kind. Creative.
— Wilma Hollis
What about Your Stuff?
Thoughts from Every Word You Speak has Power
Before we got on the official part of the call, Wilma shared with me her mother-in-law had recently passed away at age 94. I remarked that that sounded like a pretty good ride to me. Of course it all depends on quality of life and I imagine we would all agree with that. I was glad to hear she had had a good life.
One thing that has been swirling around in my mind is the reality of going through your loved ones’ stuff. We can agree we all have too much of it. When I visit each of my parents I can’t help but notice what’s been accumulated in their lifetimes and the same would certainly be true of me.
Something that has caught my eye is the Swedish idea of “death cleaning” döstädning (and no, I don’t know how to pronounce it even though my mother’s family hails from Sweden). It sounds awful, I know, but it is certainly a reality we will all face on one end or the other. I was intrigued enough to order a book on it. Let’s see what Google AI says about it. (I know we did a ‘book report’ last week but oh well, you’re getting another one.)
The Core Principles
Reduce the Burden on Loved Ones:The primary goal is to clear out items you no longer need or use so your family doesn't have to sort through them and deal with them when they are grieving.
Focus on the Present:The process isn't just about the end of life; it's about living a simpler, more intentional life by ridding yourself of the excess in the here and now.
Embrace a Mindset Shift:You must shift from accumulating to shedding possessions. Ask yourself if an item will bring happiness to anyone in the future or if it will just become clutter.
Prioritize Gifting and Sharing:Before your death, consider gifting items with sentimental value to specific family members and share the memories associated with them.
Gradual and Thoughtful Process:It's not about drastic minimalism but about systematically going through your belongings and making thoughtful decisions about what to keep, gift, and discard.
How to Get Started
Start with the easy stuff: Begin with obvious clutter, such as items in a junk drawer or clothes that no longer fit.
Move to more personal items: As you become more comfortable, you can tackle more sentimental belongings, deciding which ones will truly matter to your family.
Communicate: Talk to your loved ones about your possessions and your intentions, making them part of the process.
Remove private items: Dispose of any private or potentially embarrassing items before your death to prevent your family from having to deal with them.
Find joy in what remains: The ultimate goal is to leave behind a home with only what is useful, beautiful, and truly tells the story of your life.
Ron’s parents did this when they downsized. They may not have realized they were participating in this Swedish tradition as they hail from England and Germany. Not sure how this all translates across cultures. What I will tell you is that we are starting to do some of this, starting with closets and photos. Not an easy task; we do it as we can.
And now I’m wondering if any of this has crossed your mind, if you’ve started to declutter, what you’re doing with your endless photos, both hard copy and digital, and anything else you might be doing with your lifetime of stuff. I can share answers in a future communique (I’ve always liked that word), and we’ll see if we’ve inspired one another or if our kids are just plain stuck with going through every last photo (not knowing who a lot of the people are) and every last shred of paper. Låt oss göra det. (Swedish for Let’s do it!)
I love creating systems and routines.
— Rachelle Heywood, Decluttering Coach
Reach out if you need some help.
(Just met her at a conference. And yes, we have the same name.)
