Spring Cleaning

I began Spring cleaning the week of Spring’s arrival. It’s a yearly ritual. I actually do Winter cleaning as well... but you get the picture. I think it’s important to re-evaluate what we have, determine what is truly being used and decide what is no longer needed. It is absolutely a cleansing process, in more ways than one. Right before Spring, I feel myself getting a little anxious because I know that spring cleaning is coming. Even though, in my head, I’m very aware of the benefits of spring cleaning, I have to prepare my mind and emotions for it. There are boxes of the kids’ paperwork to sort through and I can’t save it all so I have to decide what’s most important. Not to mention the cute little clothes that they’ve outgrown. Do I keep certain pieces just to be sentimental or pass them along to someone who can actually use them? And let’s not talk about my clothes... the ones that are too small that I vow to lose weight to fit again someday. See, the anxiety comes from the reality that I have to face of my children growing up too fast and that I may very well never lose the weight :( My first round of Spring cleaning is complete after 3 gigantic garbage bags of clothes and shoes that the boys and I haven’t worn in quite some time. I even went through the boys’ toys, some of my pocketbooks, and random other things around the house that were not being used. It felt freeing to release myself of these items. After it was out of the house, I realized that these things were just taking up space. Now with it all being gone, I can better appreciate what we already have and it doesn’t feel cluttered. If needed or when needed, we will have the space for more or something even better. It’s so important that we do Spring cleaning. And not just of our physical possessions but of all of the things that clutter our lives with negativity. We have to take inventory of the energies that we are receiving from others into our space and into our spirits. Just as there is no real purpose of having 100 pair of jeans, there is no real purpose to have people in our space who do not mean us well. I get it though. Some of us are afraid to open up that box. Because once we start throwing stuff out, we have to actually do something about it. We have to then feel the pain and hurt of our choices, disappointments and failures, as well as directly address the things that others have done to us. We have to acknowledge our role in what we have allowed. We have to work through the anger and move forward in forgiveness and Lord have mercy sometimes forgiveness is so incredibly hard. This is where Spring cleaning becomes therapy. It is our hope that our love will be enough to transform the unhealthy people in our lives but we have to be honest with ourselves knowing that their transformation has to come from someone greater than us. So when we release them, we have to also free ourselves yet remain prayerful that God will do some Spring cleaning within them (Luke 6:28 “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”) May you learn to treasure what you have and allow yourself the opportunity to receive more. May you see the beauty of this special time of cleansing and allow God to rejuvenate your soul and declutter your spirit. May you accept responsibility for your mess and create a healthy lifestyle that frees you from hoarding unnecessary belongings as well as unnecessary stress, anger, bitterness and those things that are not of God. May you find forgiveness in your heart for those who have littered in your life and lift them up in prayer to your Heavenly Father. Be whole knowing that God is all you need; everything else is secondary. And may you truly discover peacefulness in your time of Spring cleaning (“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” -- 1 Corinthians 14:33).