Rich in What Matters - A Lesson in Letting Go

A couple of weeks ago an unexpected moment with extended family reminded me of an important lesson in letting go.

My six-year-old daughter, Elena, stood outside an Iowa Super 8 blithely clutching a white envelope to her chest. I gave little thought to the envelope's contents.

It was likely a handmade gift for her aunt, who was due to arrive at the hotel anytime. Elena had surely crafted it as we drove through hours of cornfields to arrive at this family reunion.

Her tiny fingers wrapped tightly around the envelope as the anticipation of her aunt's arrival increased. It'd been almost a year since she'd seen this beloved aunt. Elena remembered gift giving was her aunt's love language—she was excited to welcome her with one.

Several more protracted minutes passed before her long-awaited car pulled up. She flashed a beautiful smile in Elena's direction as she emerged from the car, while I kept a firm grip on my daughter's hand to prevent her from darting into the lot.

Finally, aunt and niece were reunited—safely under the Super 8 awning. After hugs and initial hellos, Elena thrust the white envelope into her aunt's neatly manicured hands.

She happily received the gift and slowly began to lift the envelope's seal.

By now a crowd of family had gathered—my husband, our 3 other children, my parents, my brother. We fixed our eyes on the envelope.

As the contents were revealed, the majority of the group smiled and offered comments like, “Oh, how nice.”

Not me. I started incredulously at the gift—one that made me feel like I'd been punched squarely in the stomach.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached over 1M people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband and their four extremely lively young children. You can also find her on Facebook.