A vase sits on the mantle, books line the shelves, a jewelry dish sits on the nightstand, and a frame rests on the coffee table.

All material things that serve different purposes. Some for decoration, some to hold things, other to flaunt memories, and some to merely fill up space.

But, there is one similarity among these things. As Jack Kerouac once wrote, "Houses are full of things that gather dust."

The vase, with or without flowers, will collect dust. An index and middle finger run along the spine of a book will come up black. The glass covering the smiling faces that fill the frame will be covered with a thin layer of dust. Hands will reach into the dish and find more than just jewelry.

Things are just things. Plain and simple. The amount of dust tells a story of how long the item has been resting in its place. It tells how many smiles it has witnessed, how many cries it has heard, and how many hands it has been touched by.

Why spend money on things that gather dust? A house overflowing with items and objects will forever feel empty as the dust settles along the edges and within the crevices.

But, fill a house with love and warmth and there is no need for dusting.