Simplify My Abundance

This may be in deep contrast to my "One Word" for 2019, which is "Abundance", but in my search for abundant living, I am finding that I need to "simplify" my life first.  I'm also thinking that I should have made "simplify" my "One Word", and maybe it would have spurred me on to an abundance of simplicity...or simplifying my abundance...well...whatever or whichever, I need to get moving in this direction.  

(one of my new t-shirts I got for Christmas)

As many of you know, we are trying to sell our house with the intention of "downsizing" to a smaller home.  So far we still have no takers for this big old house. And I've been rather lazy about getting started on the downsizing process.  

But spring is springing abundantly all around us, and it seems as though with that new vitality of spring, it is time for me to begin some serious spring housecleaning.

(and try not to be distracted by the sweet little white wildflowers growing like a carpet in our yard)

Or by the abundance of azaleas that are really opening up and showing their pretty faces to the sunlight in the Secret Garden (above), and the Memorial Garden (below)

My hubby actually got the cleaning bug last week and reorganized and cleaned out his side of the closet. I was so impressed...

that I had to get busy and start reorganizing and simplifying the abundance of too many things in my side of the closet.  We were both happy to take bags of clothes to the church's thrift store, as well as take bags of old t-shirts that make great rags for painting/woodworking to our woodworking son and daughter in law for their business.

Next...well, I kept smelling an unpleasant musty odor coming from under the kitchen sink.  Usually I would just hurry up and get what I needed or put back what I used and shut the door really quick.

But it was getting worse and worse, and I knew I had to address the problem if I ever want to sell this house...

So I got down on my fanny and sat on the floor and started pulling everything out from under the sink cabinets, and discovered that the floor of the cabinets under the sink was quite wet, and it was spreading to the cabinet next to the sink as well, and it was quite a wet and stinky mess under there.

So everything is out on the kitchen floor, and I cleaned the cabinet floors and put a pan under the sink to see if we can catch the leak and figure out where it is coming from.  It wasn't real obvious, but I think it is coming from the hot water faucet...so we will check again in the morning and then determine if it is something we  can fix on our own or if we need to call someone.   I'm hoping we can do it, but then again...sometimes it is simpler in the long run to call a professional...can I get a witness on that???

Yes, it is time to simplify the abundance of things and clean and organize and refresh this old house.
It may be time to simplify the abundance of things in my mind and heart and clean and organize and refresh this old house that holds me together as well.

Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent...the 40 days leading up to Easter.  My husband has been asked to lead the Ash Wednesday service next week, as our Pastor is still not well...(Thank you for your continued prayers for him and for my hubby as well, as he will also be preaching again this Sunday).  This will be a first time for my hubby to lead an Ash Wednesday service, as we did not officially observe Ash Wednesday as such in our previous churches.  So we've been doing some reading up on the order of service and significance thereof.  One of the key sets of verses that stand out to me goes along real well with what I am experiencing in my pursuit of simplifying and cleaning up the "abundance" of too much...

Psalm 51:7-12

7.  "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8.  Make me hear joy and gladness,

that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9.  Hide Your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10.  Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11.  Do not cast me away from Your Presence,

and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."

This is also a wonderful song, written and sung by Keith Green:

Thank you also for your prayers for the United Methodist Church denomination this week.  God has indeed answered our prayers, but the denomination still faces some difficult days ahead, and there may possibly be a split at some point. But we believe that God is at work and we will keep praying for those who have been hurt through this process...that they will seek God's face and find grace and forgiveness and peace.

So what about you? Are you working on any spring cleaning projects yet? I know many of you are still dealing with old man winter.  I pray that you will soon experience the joy of springtime in your home and in your heart as well...

Have a simply abundantly blessed rest of your week!!!