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Well, hello April <3

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So it is April Fool’s Day which happens to be the anniversary of the birth of Russ’s dad and we celebrate a young friend who also was born on this date…so nothing but love and hugs on this day of trickery. 

I have been sharing a lot of my heart this past week regarding our current setting, but I want to step away and take a minute to stay semi on track with the original plan for 2020.

Today, we continue with what we started in January and here is a little about my March discipline. 

As a refresher or if you are recently new to the Journey, I followed the lead of this sweet counselor friend of mine and adapted her idea to try something new each month. 

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Kaloupek Counseling LLC

For this month I combined the idea with a Lenten discipline I read about for a 40 day purge of possessions. In other words, I have adapted the adaptation of the plan above and taken it to a new and even more complicated level.

Because as always, why do things the simple way when you can go big or go home?

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As you can see, I have done a very fancy chart to keep track of my progress. Also you will note that I am officially 6 days behind. But that has happened other weeks as well.

Remember I said I wouldn’t turn this into a legalistic effort, but would shoot for participation points. 

Some days I had the mental and emotional energy to dig through several boxes of memorabilia and other days I was doing well just to stay on task without losing my footing in the present moment that was March 2020 on planet earth.

No excuses. I just know that some trips down memory lane can trip me up, so I have been purging as I can and catching up when I get behind. 

What have I learned from this exercise? 

Well, I am so glad you asked. 

Here are a few off the top of my head:

#1

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If you are one of those who zoomed in on the list, you will notice there were quite a few boxes in the “china closet”. 

The china closet is actually a narrow storage area in our basement where I have set up shelving and it basically looks like a booth at a flea market. 

I come from a long line of collectors of all things breakable.

My paternal grandmother painted china plates that would make you weep. My maternal grandmother, and both of her daughters apparently loved crystal, serving sets, bowls, salt and pepper shakers…all of it. 

My mom, who never swallowed a drop of alcohol, collected the most beautiful goblets, cocktail glasses and snifters imaginable. I have mugs that were made in Germany and probably came over on the boat with my great grandparents. 

So many beautiful figurines and vases … and I use them. I bring them out in different seasons and serve out of them and well…there are worse things.

Mixed in with these aged treasures are the handcrafted items from our own three. Plaster of paris hot pads with handprints, sponge painted clay pots, tiles with marker drawings, paper weights made out of juice glasses…treasures abound. 

So I learned I have no need to ever grace the decor area of Hobby Lobby and TJ Maxx. Ever. 

And if you see my car parked in front of an antique mall, please call for back up and start intervention. 

#2

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I learned the longer you keep something, the harder it is to get rid of. 

Cards, pictures, clothing, children’s costumes and uniforms. 

As the years pass, these basic items that were just supposed to give joy in the moment and be useful can take on a life of their own. 

They seem to hold all the memories of the person and season when they were useful and there becomes attached to them an importance they were never meant to hold. 

I will never be able to be one of those who just pitches things as they come in the house, and I do believe there is some value to having some memories stashed in the nooks and crannies. I am sentimental and this will not change.

But I also believe it can become a place of idolatry if the usefulness of an item is being withheld from someone else so that I can “hold on” to some part of the past.

I am not a Marie Kondo follower, but I am a Christ follower and so I do not hold an object to see if it brings me joy. 

I hold to Jesus and talk to Him as I sort through our things. I ask Him to continue to help me learn how to separate the eternal from the temporal. I ask Him what is okay to keep and what needs to be released. And then I pray about who might benefit from the items and I follow through. 

There is a balancing that needs to happen and as I am doing this discipline, I can see where in some places I have been off balance.

#3

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This purging and cleaning out doesn’t take as long as one would think. 

I always thought I didn’t have time, but typically find twenty minutes is adequate to empty a box or a drawer or a cabinet, put things that are to be kept in the right place, return the contents as needed and dispose of what is not needed. 

Twenty minutes to lighten the load. 

#4

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Doing this one task most days has given me an increase in energy and focus to work on other projects that need to be done. 

There is a domino effect where accomplishing this one task inspires me to another and then another. 

Success breeds success and all this talk is making me want to sign off and start catching up on my goal. 

I also need to review my ideas for 2020 and decide on April’s discipline…how about you? 

How are you doing with staying somewhat on track with growth in 2020?

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4 Comments

  1. Here’s another great idea. Maybe you could wear your cheerleading boots and outfit and do a cheer for the online church service. That’ll give everyone a boost!!

    1. Oh no cheerleader legacy in this life. I carried the banner for the marching band my freshman year. Out of step every step but I did it.

    2. I think the cheer leading is good, do it for Jesus; not the old high school!I too have so much Stuff, but tho I am a pack rat, most of it is family , the kids and grands, etc, gives me so much pleasure, and all the experts say, if it brings happiness, keep it! it is good for us emotionally until we cannot see beyond, then—pitch! I read Marie Kondo, I admire it all but let her marry and have a bunch of kids, grands,in and out laws, etc. may change her outlook!Enjoy the Days! Love you, M

      1. I would never have made a good cheerleader. Bless you for the way you love your family <3 You are a tender of the memories...sweet <3

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