Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be A Hoarder

I am a pack rat by and large. I save everything until that fateful day that I can no longer take the stacks and piles and start pitching. It's in my genes. Sort of like being a procrastinator. It's something that I inherited. My Grandma Jane was a pack rat, but a neat one. I remember her neatly cutting open her mail, just to save the envelopes. She'd put papers, soup labels, whatever in those envelopes and they became useful again. I'm not that kind of a pack rat. I just save things, because I cannot bear to throw things away...

Insert Grandma W. She's a blessing by and large to our family. She spoils my kids, loves on them, and is the epitomy of a Grandma. She's wonderful to have around. Lately, in the past few years, her mind is going...slowly deteriorating. She's forgetful and she hoards. I'm talking we're getting to the point of having TLC drop by to film it's getting that bad. But she's a stubborn woman. Stubborn to the core. It's a gene my husband and FIL inherited from her. So when you're shopping with her, and she thinks she needs to buy more, it's really hard to argue with her. She just gets upset. And who fights with an almost 80 year old? Yeah. Not me.

So my SIL and I have been planning a sort of attack on her house the past few weeks. It was decided by and large, because I'm pregnant, and my kids are having birthdays, I would take her shopping for the kids birthdays. A sort of tradition she had started a long time ago, but I decided this year that I wanted to go. While we were gone my SIL would clean her house. The plans were set and we were ready. So, after a long day of errand running yesterday, as I'm making dinner, my SIL calls. "Want to help me start cleaning tonight?" Um, Nope. No, I don't. I really really don't. I'm scared. I went anyway. We left the supper dishes and drove down to Grandmas. When I got there I was amazed. Just floored at what we ended up doing. Out of respect for her I didn't take pictures. But picture counters piled high with boxes of food. Food on the floor in boxes, bags, and cans. There was stuff EVERYWHERE.

We threw away almost 14 bags of rotten outdated - like from 2010 outdated - food. We made a donate pile for a soup kitchen. We took stuff for ourselves. I still feel like we robbed her house. I couldn't sleep last night, because I felt like we just caused some unruly damage to her. She's no longer allowed to cook. People make her dinner. She has frozen meals. But for the most part she eats junk and just keeps buying more. Grandma used to cater. She was an amazing cook. Having that taken away from her due to her mind has been tough on her. So she buys food anyway, hoping she can cook it. Only, she never does. So by me and my SIL taking stuff out of her cupboards that she can't used helped. We cleaned counters, swept floors, and by the time we were done it looked like a new place. But there is still more to do. I have to call her soon to make plans for today. I'm scared. Dreading and praying about this phone call. I don't want her to think we robbed her. We were just trying to help. And in the end, I know she won't miss most of what we threw away. But I still feel awful.

Lord, please don't let me be a hoarder. Ever.

Turning 26!

I turn 26 today! WOO HOO!

When I look back at my life over the past six years, and think about all that God has done in my life I'm astonished. Literally. The list overwhelmes me! I generally think that MY birthday should be the most important day of the year. It should be spent relaxing, doing the things that I love with the ones that I love, and presents, lots and lots of presents. God has really humbled me this year, as I realize gifts aren't important and that at the end of the day, I'll really be happy if my kids were smiling and we had fun doing whatever we did. Tonight we're going to a local Minor League baseball game. We've been trying to get to a game since summer started, but haven't been able to due to the business of life. I'm looking forward to it, even if the weather isn't supposed to be that wonderful.

But for now, I'm going to make part of my list of life accomplishments in the past six years. The things overwhelm me, and these are just the BIG things. Not the oh so significant little things that we do on a daily basis. So I leave you with my list. Yours might be better, or bigger, but I learned this morning that God gives us gifts and talents that are individual to each of us. We shouldn't be jealous of other's accomplishments, but be proud of our own. And I am proud!

In NO particular order...

1. Had daughter #1. My first born. My sweet girl. The one who has given me multiple gray hairs, and lots of love.
2. Went back to nursing school and graduated. If you've ever attempted to go to college while working, having children, and a husband - it's not easy!
3. Started my first real grown up job. Benefits, long hours, the accomplishment of knowing I'm using my degree to take care of people everyday. Kind of exciting!
4. Had child #2. My precious moments baby. Who recently showed me just how much he is growing up by getting his baby hair cut off, peeing in the potty, and sleeping in his big boy bed. And now he's giving me multiple gray hairs too.
5. Bought my first "home." Our home is a "mobile home." I've spent years fixing it up, decorating it, and making it our own. I used to hate it, but find comfort walking in the back door at night knowing that this is where God wants us to be right now. And for now, I'm going to make the best of it.
6. Bought my first BRAND NEW car. Its a mess now. And as I've grown up, I've learned to appreciate things more. I should have never gotten this car at such a young age, because I'd never appreciate it, but I'm thankful it runs. She's gotten me through a lot of snow storms.
7. GOT HITCHED! Woot woot. When I married my husband four years ago, I didn't realize how much we'd grow together. Or how much I appreciate him. Or how much he really does for me. I'm so thankful he's mine. We joke that we both had to go across the state line to find someone (our home towns were across the state line, but only 15 minutes away). I'm so thankful for him.
8. Changed jobs. I left my first grown up job, for grown up job #2. I prayed over this for 2 years. I am so thankful God's timing is best. I couldn't be more thankful to be working 15 minutes from home. We're about to move to a BRAND SPANKIN NEW hospital too! How fun?!
9. Having baby #3! I haven't had him yet, I'm due in October. But carrying him for 7 months is an accomplishment if I do say so myself. And in a few short months he'll be gracing us with his presence. I'm excited.
10. I'm leaving #10 open. There isn't a huge accomplishment left that I can think of, but there are many small things that God has opened doors to, suprised me, and made my life complete. For those, they will all get lumped in this number.

I think I've done quite a bit in 6 years. So thankful for my life! Off to eat some cake!