Cleaning and clearing one by one.

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.