Saturday, July 30, 2016

The Big Cleanse

When everything around you seems to be falling apart, raging out of control, and at every turn, hope for anything good again seems to be lost; start over. Find new ways to recreate your own goodness and bring order back into your own life.

Because as bad as it feels to say it, there’s not an awful lot we as individuals can do about all the hate and destruction that is taking over the world. We can live right, we can be kind, we can be compassionate and we can love one another – but there are wars being fought right now – right here in the United States of America – that we have absolutely no way of making anyone understand that peace for one, will always bring peace for all.

When things feel out of control for me the only way I know how to cleanse from within is to purge. And that’s exactly what my husband and I began doing this weekend.

Because I have drug you all thru my trials and tribulations of the emptying of my nest for the past 6 months or so, you all already know that my youngest child has moved out of our home.

Well for those who have not experienced that yet, let me explain something to you – when they leave, it seems they pack up and take all the things that are important to them, to their survival and for their immediate needs. The rest, well the rest continues to sit in one big clutter-pile until you decide you’ve had enough, you get in there and bag it up, load it up, and take it to them – which is exactly what I did.

I couldn’t seem to completely move on myself as long as things were in such disarray. But once his old room was clean, and empty, it was time to move on to the shed; formally known as his “man cave”.

You know outdoor sheds and other “holding” areas for items you are “saving” should almost be against the law. Because you know full well, that most of us have some “pack rat” in us – and most everything we have ever spent money on, we can think of a reason to keep it.

And that is where we started the King Daddy Dog of purges this past Saturday morning. Our shed also has a loft on either side of the top. So you can only imagine just how much STUFF this shed can hold at any given time.

Now mind you, this shed is like a 12x30 size, so it’s not any small structure and it was PACKED. It was also 110 degrees on the inside of that thing and after about 2 hours of heaving things to the floor for the trash pile, we were both pouring sweat and looking for a way out.

The purge/cleanse is about half-way complete. I am at a stand-still until my son decides what to do with his musical instruments, foosball table, ping pong table, and dart board. There may be a big yard sale in my future. Stay tuned. 

Sunday, July 3, 2016

We All Bleed - Red, White and Blue

In just a few days, cities and towns all over the world will be gearing-up for the holiday celebration of the 4th of July. The holiday which declares our symbols of freedom and our appreciation to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

My grand what a mess this world is in; everywhere you turn there is disaster, trauma, and sadness, whether it’s some made from nature or others made by man.  There are fires raging out of control in California and homes by the hundreds destroyed with no relief in sight. Hundreds of brave firemen fighting an uncontrollable monster with teeth of flames biting at the edges of land yet to burn.

There is flooding in West Virginia like nothing those folk have ever seen. People standing in knee-deep water looking at nothingness, spaces of land where their homes used to be. Where they used to laugh, grill hot dogs and hamburgers, and shoot off fireworks on holidays like this. They won’t be celebrating anything this year other than life itself – the fact that they are still alive – even if they only have the clothes on their bodies and the empty land on which they still stand, as the body count continues to rise.

I’m sure to these people they feel as if they are all alone, that no one else is even aware of what they are going through – except for the national news reminder every night – the reminder that many of us forget about as soon as the newest show of Jeopardy airs right after.

I lived in Albany, Georgia during the Flood of 94’. There is nothing like the feeling when you’re packing up to leave, trying to decide what to leave and what to take, or the absolute fear and feeling of desperation that almost overcomes you and paralyzes your body movements and your thought processes.

And then, after it is all over, you come back home to sights your eyes nor mind could have ever imagined, and the sadness is so overwhelming you’re left wondering will life ever be the same again? The ruination is so much worse than anything you think you have ever seen on television – and you cry – for yourself and for everyone who is experiencing loss.

There will still be celebrations this year and there will still be cook-out’s, fireworks, sack races, and small children running around dressed in red, white and blue with sparklers held in their tight little hands, and smiles on their faces with no cares in the world.

My hope is that even though we are not sheathed in sadness or overrun with fire and rain, that as we all spend time with our family and friends – we take the time to remember why we have these freedoms, why we are lucky enough to live in the greatest place on earth, and say a prayer for those who are struggling and having a hard time trying to remember their own happy times from better days.

We ARE the greatest show on earth – God Bless the USA.