CLEANING AND CLEARING ONE BY
ONE.
I have sold my home of
over 50 years earlier in the year and settlement is not far away. It has
been a time of packing and sorting, and sorting and packing and throwing,
sorting and packing. I will probably move into rental accommodation at
first, whilst I look around peacefully for my ideal unit.
So, the move is from A to C to B- moving twice at this
stage. So, then the question arises, how long am I going to rent- do I
need this in rental for the next 6-12 months and on and on it goes. It really
leaves me feeling physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted.
However there have been some highlights too- finding things that I
have forgotten about- looking at old photos and the like. All part of the
long and slow arduous process. One article at a time.
There is relief too when areas that seem too daunting get sorted-
one article at a time. Areas that were just too big/ too hard/ too emotional
have almost been tackled. Tackled one article at a time. This whole process has
made me realize I will never need to shop again.
There has been a beacon of light in this whole process though-
like the light in a lighthouse. It has also reminded me of the process for my
soul too. Sometimes for whatever reasons, we can allow the sins/mistakes/
weaknesses mount up in our souls until we finally decide it is time for
reconciliation. However, as I have discovered with my house cleaning and
clearing, it would be so much easier with less stuff!!!
So whether this post encourages you to think about your home and
the various cupboards/areas that may need clearing and/or it encourages you to
think about your soul to seek sacrament of reconciliation to attend to the
clearing and cleaning your soul, I hope that it starts you thinking about your
life, your needs, what physical, emotional and spiritual clutter is around you
and what you can do to declutter our lives. I know that I will be watching
carefully from now on.
I am trying to face my clutter because of need. The move has
forced the issue especially in areas I could not face emotionally. It is
my family home and although my parents have gone to God, I still have to deal
with their belongings too. However, this is not blame. I have been
putting it off until I was ready, hoping that somehow it would just go
away. How's that for procrastination and avoidance. So much of it mine,
some is theirs individually and collectively.
I have gained something from this process though- we are a world
of disposable- some say if you have not used it in 12 months, you don't need
it. There is merit in that for some things and not for others. I think it
depends on your own circumstances. What I find sad though is that charities are
not interested in things that are perfectly good and useable. Instead they
prefer almost new. I know that people can give charities things that they
should have disposed of themselves. This is unjust. However, now it
has made it so very difficult for people to give to charities, especially
people like myself who need to downsize.
However, the clutter of one's physical, emotional and spiritual
zones has to be started and usually by one article/one sin/weakness at a
time. You just have to start.
So whether it is a cupboard/area in the house or your cleaning of
your soul that has been put off for a while, I would love to encourage you
to start- one article/sin at a time. Just start and do what you can do..
there will be physical/emotional/spiritual blocks along the way but start
again- one by one.
May God give us all the strength we need.
