Lois Lyda

I’ve seen this very entertaining show Clean House a handful of times, and it makes me feel good about my not-so-organized state of being, especially the “messiest home in America” special edition.  However, a friend last week brought me back to reality when she commented while looking into our tiny pantry, “Lois, you have so many things that you don’t need.”  On further examination, I realized that she was indeed correct. 

I embarked on “operation: clean week clean out.”  Here is a random list of things I have found in the house so far, that we really don’t need:

A Tagalog-English Dictionary.  Three Spanish language Bibles.  40 pairs of toddler tighty-whities.  10 outdated phonebooks - one from 2003.   Shredded coconut dated 8/2008. Baking chocolate that has been in the pantry since we moved in 2005 - oh, and I don’t bake!  A hardback manual “Guia contra el Dolor.”  3 St. Maximus library books that I was unknowingly holding hostage, and convinced the church librarian I surely must have returned.  Over 75 used grocery sacks (for Ben’s lunches, of course!).  A whole bag of miscellaneous sock singletons.  7 Baby Dolls of varying ethnicities (we only have one daughter, so I have left her with three:  one white squeezable snoring baby, one  black plastic baby - formerly a twin, and one fully clothed Native American).

 Already, just by getting rid of all my secular parenting books like “Nanny Wisdom” that I am never going to read, I have found a logical home for all the displaced shoes scattering themselves abroad in my entryway; our entryway bookshelf-bench now functions as a shoe cubby.

Far from discouraging me, this emptying of the home makes my heart feel fuller.