Last night we had friends over for dinner. After the meal we retired to our living room where I was sitting on a comfortable rocking chair next to the fireplace. The weather has been warm this week and there was no need for a fire, but the chair is still a very comfortable place to sit and visit with friends. One of our friends commented on the cain-backed chair and Susan told them that the chair had been in her grandparents’ home. Her grandfather repaired cain furniture and he taught that skill to her father and to me. This chair was one that he had repaired many years ago. The seat bottom is an upholstered cushion. A year or so ago, we had a new cushion made for the chair covered with fabric that we had that matches some throw pillows that sit on our sofa. We kept the original cushion that was on the chair when it came from her grandparents’ home. It is stuffed with sawdust.

The chair is one of several antiques that are part of our home. Often, however, we don’t think of them as antiques. They are simply useful items for which we aren’t the original owners. A chair in our study is even older than the rocking chair in the living room. Our dining room table was in Susan’s parents’ home before it came to ours and it wasn’t new when they got it.

There are a lot of things that serve well for generations. While we have some furniture that was new to us, most of the furnishings in our home started their life in other homes. Most of the vehicles we have owned were purchased used. We have a very happy life and we don’t feel deprived at all. We simply have never felt the need to be the owners of a lot of things that are new.

In a subtle way, however, we are counter cultural for contemporary America. If you pay attention to the advertisements, shopping and buying new things is an important part of our nation’s economy. We have several friends the age of our children who have households full of furniture that is less than a decade old. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to the antiques in our home when we no longer have need of them. Will the next generations have any desire to have those special items?

Normally, the antique clocks in our home are the topic of conversation with family and friends. However, at the moment none of them are running. A piece of string connecting a weight on an old clock that has been very reliable broke Saturday evening. It will be an easy repair. I think that I can replace the string. If not, we’ll find a clock repair shop that can do it. Another clock needs cleaning and adjustment that I am not able to do myself and will hire someone to do it. However, we have only lived in this area for a few years and we have not yet found a clock repair shop. There aren’t many left with technicians who know how to repair old mechanical clocks. It is simple to find someone to replace a battery in a modern watch or clock, but repair of mechanical clocks is becoming a lost art. It makes me a bit sad because machines that were built to last centuries are becoming increasingly rare.

We purchased smart watches after Susan was treated for atrial fibrillation a few years ago. I still think of the devices as new. They work as designed and should last for some time, but I don’t know how long. Our watches are labeled by the manufacturer as “series 5.” The current models are series 9. I think that the company has released updates each year since we purchased ours. There are so many modern technological devices that seem to be obsolete as soon as they are purchased.

The typewriter that I received as a gift upon completion of high school served us well through four years of college, four years of graduate school, and seven years as parish pastors before we purchased our first computer. That typewriter was still functioning normally when we finally gave it away thirty five years later. In contrast, the computers we now use rarely last more than ten years before they need to be replaced. And we keep our computers longer than most people. I am amused by technicians and sales people who refer to perfectly usable devices as “dated” or “old.”

Like many others, I am saddened by our throw-away society. We are perfectly capable of designing objects that will last for generations. There are repair strategies for many items that are typically discarded when they stop working. And there are plenty of items that will easily serve for long periods of time that people want to discard. In contrast to where we have previously lived, here it is common for people who have a useful item that they want to discard to put it out on the street in front of their home with a sign that says “free.” We’ve seen all kinds of furniture and many appliances as well as toys and other items placed out that way. Some are quickly picked up by someone, but many sit in the same location for days and weeks. The system seems to be very inefficient. I’m sure that many items never find a new home and end up in the landfill.

I’m not inclined to do much shopping. We have reached a stage in our life where we have what is required to live comfortably. There are few items that we need. In fact we know that our future will involve downsizing and shedding some of the possessions that we now own. We currently have an antique bed that is stored in our garage because we own more beds than bedrooms. I hate to get rid of that special piece of furniture, but know that it probably won’t seem precious to anyone else. I can’t stand the thought of it ending up in the landfill.

I keep hoping that one of our grandchildren will develop a love of old things. We have enough to share.