Cleaning

It's Saturday. All week long the fog has been a welcome friend in the mornings. Today, not so much. The air pouring through my window is much warmer than it has been the rest of the week. Perfect day to sort through things that have been piling up.

First up, the top of my vanity. Seriously haven't seen the top of it in probably over a year. It's the dumping grounds for anything that doesn't have a home. The garbage can starts piling up, paper recycling is filling and so is the bag for the Flea Market at the end of the month. There's a stack of pictures for K, cards bought but never sent, a pile of things for the bathroom cupboard, papers to be filed.

The catch-all drawer is next. Hair bands, more hair bands, hair clips. Huh. It's always funny that just about the time I get all of these types of things organized, I decide it's time to cut my hair (the appointments Monday). At least it will all be in one place! Make-up that's old, out! Paintbrushes, I wondered where those went. It's quite a feat but when the drawer is back in place, the top of the vanity is cleaned off there's a sense of peace within my soul. I like this clean look. It looks fresh, new, inviting.

So I start on the bills and stuff that's been piling up. Recycle, recycle, recycle, file. There are cards from Yo Momma from Christmases past, a card from M & L from two years ago...the message is pretty appropriate for right now...can't part with those. The envelope with papers from my last class at Fuller (I got an A, by the way), the receipt that says I paid a lot of money for that class, all filed away. Amongst a card from Meg I find an I-tunes card that has been missing for a long time. And there's 20 in a card from Staff Appreciation Sunday in October. I think it's been way too long since I went through this stuff.

It occurs to me, part way through, that this cleansing, this purging is much like the cleansing that I find in Christ. Not surprising that's where my brain goes, I'm preaching on forgiveness and love Sunday morning. Cleaning off, cleaning out this stuff helps me to feel a little less chaotic, out of control, more centered. Much like my relationship with Christ, I feel more centered, less chaotic, less out of control when I wade through the junk, confess, let go of things that are binding up my soul and allow Christ's love, compassion and forgiveness to enter in. It's good to go through this purging, both the physical stuff and the emotional stuff, to let go of what's holding me back from feeling peaceful and find that beauty that is around me and in me again.

It's Saturday, a little warm, but a great day for cleaning.