Life Returns to Reality

After dealing with all the usual holiday activities I have now got David back on the road and now it is time for me to get the house and my schedule back on track. The house always looks so bare after having all the holiday decorations up and I just don't get why it always looks so different after you put the exact same things back where you had them before the holidays. I have been tearing each room apart, purging away things I am sure the trash collectors will just love me this week. It has to be done and might as well get a start on 2009 right.

When I get in these moods of Mrs. Clean it always makes me feel that I have made a bigger accomplishment in organizing my life but probably in reality I have just opened up myself to acquiring more stuff.

It always leads me to think back to several of my family members who were raised in a time where what little they had they kept in either a small box or packed away in a small area.

I remember a story my mother in law relates about what they got for Christmas. Usually it was some fruit, nuts, candy (if they were lucky) and maybe if they were even luckier a toy. Year after year their excitement for these blessings never changed. I think that was why she has always enjoyed Christmas as she got older because she gave until she had nothing left to give. This year we told her just keep it for the young kids don't buy for the grown ups and she actually stayed to that. Unfortunately because of her lack of funds due to healthcare expenses. But the memories linger on...

Also one thing that always stuck out about my biological granma Edith was how she kept practically everything in her life. Everything had some form of emotional meaning. She was the youngest of 9 and inherited alot of her sister's items after they passed. Including an old Chrysler that she kept in her driveway for years, even when it didn't run. She kept a pink, yes pink washer and dryer in her garage that belonged to one of her sister's here in MO. Granted all these belongs were shipped out to CA after they had passed and stayed in her garage or home for over years time. But God love her she kept things that I will never throw away that I was blessed to receive after she died a few years ago. I didn't have the opportunity to be around her until about the last 10 or so years of her life but what little mementos I do have those will get passed on to our children.

So I guess the moral to this story is, as you are purging one year and stepping into another, take a little time (not to long of course) relive fond memories and enjoy the times to come.