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Backyard project: The Cleansing.

August 30, 2020

     We have lived here almost forty years, and have collected a lot of stuff in that time.  We’ve had four floods in our house and three outside. Trees have crashed onto our cars and pulled down wires and cables.  We’ve been though droughts and floods and have had plenty and have had little, most of the time, we have enough. 

     Since getting clean and staying put in one place we started building our life here.  It’s just our little humble abode. Our house is old and we still live in the hood. My husband has added to our home and it’s a cozy little cottage for us. But, we have stored a lot of stuff due to the floods and people coming and going in and out of our home. I have stored enough career materials to open my own stores!  I have had two main careers of which I collected and stored a lot of materials, plus all my college stuff.  My counseling materials and teacher materials fills up one shed! Good grief! 

     The point about all this is, we’ve been purging, cleansing and giving away, throwing lots of stuff away and being very selective with what we hang onto at this point. My husband has recently given some of the grandson’s his fishing poles and tools.  This has been a long, drawn out tedious job and emotional to say the least.

     I find cards, letters and pictures from my mom, sister and people I love that have passed away.  These are my treasures, my heart, I cannot let go of those things.  I give away my teacher stuff and counseling stuff, but not these personal memories.

     We started this project about April, and it’s been slow going, especially on the really hot days.  We need to take a lot of breaks and can only work in the mornings due to the heat. Still, we trudge on. Keep on keeping on.  I do not want to leave this chore to my kids to deal with.  Basically, they’d just throw it all away anyway! Dang kids!  Lol.

     This “cleansing” is like the cleansing I’ve had to do on the inside also.  Not of my house made of wood and mortar, but my soul and mind, MY house.   Some people say that if you attend a 12 step program, they will brain wash you.  I remember hearing that when I was new and thought, “you know what, my brain needs washing!” I need to clean it out and give it new, fresh, healthy input.

     The brain washing I found in recovery was not about mind control like some Jim Jones cult or the wacko in Waco thing.  But it’s been a cleansing, a renewing of the mind.  Giving me more control and power over my own life than I ever had before!  What a miracle.  What a blessing. 

     There just comes a time when we all need to cleanse and purge, to get rid of the old and move on to the new.  Lighten the load and let go.  We are doing that with “our stuff” a little at a time, just by getting up everyday and getting to it.  We do it with our mind, body and soul by surrender. Surrender to God, working my steps and staying in recovery.  Which means don’t use no matter what!  Trying each day to do a little bit better. 

Question of the Week:  Are you needing to cleanse and purge anything from your life? Your mind, body or spirit?  Or have you already done that? If so, please share with us how it went for you.