Closet Overflow

Has this ever happened to you?

Someone is coming to your house, unexpectedly (like in an hour), and your place is a mess!  You go through the house and do the quick clean - shoving everything in a closet.  They come over - you enjoy their company.  Share stories, laugh, eat, drink.
You say your goodbyes.

Then, a similar situation happens again.
You do the quick clean and put more items in the closet.  You're beginning to run out of space because what you had put in there is still there.

The cycle goes on until the closet can't close anymore.
Then we look for other closets to hide our stuff.

Sooner or later what was put in the closet has to be dealt with.

Isn't that just like our lives?

We go and keep putting things in "closets" or "compartments" in our heart and say, "I'll take care of that later."

We put away our hurts, we shove down our disappointments, we hide our pain, etc.  we keep piling them up on top of each other but, as long as we can still close the door, we think we're doing fine.

Keep putting the smile on.
Keep going through the motions.

Until one day the door won't close anymore and the "stuff" begins to spillover into other areas of our lives.

Have you been there?
I know I have.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been going through areas of my home and getting rid of things.

One drawer
One closet
At a time

It's a symbolic gesture of cleaning out my heart, as well.  Getting rid of layers of stuff.

One prayer

One forgiveness

One healing 

At a time

Difficult, yes.
But, not impossible.

I've been ready.

Are you ready -
To clean out your "closet"?

What do you need to finally let go?
What is taking up unnecessary space in your life?

The Value Perspective

Today I stopped and began thinking of defining moments in my life.

Has this ever happened to you?  Sometimes when everything is quiet and I actually get some time alone, I am taken back to moments that have shaped who I am now...

Like many families, when I was growing up there wasn't a lot of extra resources. 

There were 7 of us, but that didn't stop my mother's creativity.

I have memories of her reupholstering & refinishing furniture, making art, and painting.

I trailed along, and watched her enjoy trips to thrift stores and flea markets. 

When she brought things home she enlisted my help in rearranging furniture.  It amazed me how many different ways she could reconfigure a room. Every time she brought something home, no matter what it was, the room was rearranged to celebrate its arrival.

All those years of watching her, she created a beautiful home without a huge budget.

She taught me that you really create a "home" environment out of love and imagination.  

Growing up the way I did has allowed me to always think outside the box and be inventive.

I can't tell you how many times I have resorted to the things my mother has done.

She saw value in the things at the time I could not.  What was once discarded became part of the design of our home.

Not only did that help me in decorating spaces but also in how I see value in other people.  Each person can add something different and significant to the world.

 (My Mom and Dad)

Now I teach my children.  They help me rearrange.. I get their input.. We get creative together.

The seed is planted again.