Join Me On the Journey

This morning, while I was reading in Deuteronomy, I came across this phrase.

Don’t pretend you did not see it. Deut 22:3b (NLT)

It made me think of what I’ve been reading and hearing in other places about keeping my house clean.

First of all, let there be no question in your mind…keeping a house is not my forte. My mother keeps a beautifully organized house. I have a sister who has a house straight from the pages of House Beautiful. When I grow up, I want to be just like them.

However, the reality is, I have struggled for all my married life to keep my house clean. Granted, the first five years of marriage, I worked outside the home as a physician and I commuted 80 miles one way to work. But, even since I came home nearly three years ago, I have continued to struggle. Only in the last year have I felt that I have obtained the good habits that help me to keep my house clean.

There are many online sources of help. Here are just a few.

Flylady http://FlyLady.net/

Messies Anonymous–Home of the Organizer Lady http://www.messies.com/

Sidetracked Home Executives–The Slob Sisters http://www.shesintouch.com/

Personally, I have taken ideas from all three sources. Plus, I’ve read literally thousands of pages from books and online articles.

The bottom line is, change only happens when the pain of staying the same is more than the pain of changing. No doubt about it, change is painful. But I had finally come to the point where that didn’t matter any more…I had to do something. I could no longer live the way I had been living.

So, back to the thought that sparked this entry.

When you see something that could be done in less than 30 seconds, just do it! Don’t pretend you don’t see it.

Obviously, you can go overboard with this concept. You could run around all day doing 30 second jobs and never accomplish what truly needs to be done for that day. When you’re cooking dinner, for example, doing too many 30 second tasks could help you right into burning your dinner!

Generally, though, this concept has really begun to make a difference in my ability to keep house. It’s a little thing that can make a big difference.

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OK. I finally realized last night while I was listening to the audio from Cindy Rushton’s writing seminar that I don’t yet have the tools I need to start seriously writing.

What a relief! I was thinking it was just me being indecisive and lazy!

From the time of the seminar until now, I have been just burning…wanting to start writing…wanting to start ministering, and yet I found myself hesitating and restless. Now, I understand why.

Writing is a process. There are logical steps. Until I learn those steps, I run the risk of foundering.

So, I’ll be patient. I’ll just sit at the feet of Jesus and write in my journals and my blog; work on my website and learn the mechanics of writing from a great lady who has been kind enought to offer to teach them to me and others.

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“Most of life’s pains come from trying to “hold on” or “freeze” some specific moment in time.” Brook Noel

As an example, losing someone you love is a natural part of life that is painful; whether through death or a break-up; whether you suddenly grow out of a relationship or gradually drift apart. When you grieve for someone who is no longer a part of your life, you’re wanting to “hold on” to what it was like to have that person with you.

My marriage to my first husband was a direct result of wanting to freeze a specific moment in time. I got involved with him because I couldn’t get past that moment my father walked out the door. I was frozen to that moment in time until I finally decided that I had to move on. As it happened, that wasn’t until almost 10 years later!

I often look back and wish that I could reclaim the time I wasted, but I cannot. No one can. I can only learn the lesson that trying to freeze time is impossible…and hurtful.

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