Progress

I've worked harder physically these past few days than I have in a long time. I've pushed the limit and wonder if I really can't do more, especially since realizing that Gatorade is one of my best friends.

Youngest daughter had a garage sale this weekend to help fund her son's latest mission trip. I helped out by donating things that desperately needed to be in somebody else's house instead of mine. A lot of those things belonged to my mom and dad. Nothing major, just little pieces of history that hurt me to part with... it made me feel like I was giving a little piece of them away. Not that any of these things were of any use to me, they weren't... I just couldn't let them go. No, I am not a hoarder... it's just a phase of the grieving process that I couldn't quite get past. And it has been, well... years. And yet there is still sorrow and in the pit of my stomach when I think of them, although it has lessened in it's intensity.

It came suddenly, the ability to finally 'let go'. I wrote in a previous post that God was helping me with this very thing and being able to let these things go has been part of that process.

So hubby and I have spent the better part of the last 4 days sorting, cleaning, and deciding where things should go... garage sale, Goodwill or the dump. Some things I wouldn't part with like Grandma's old wash tub or her old metal kitchen stool I intend to have repainted and use. Other things like favorite coffee mugs, old anniversary plates or several of dad's old aluminum 5 gallon water cans have found new homes. And I feel lighter for it. What I have left is boxes and boxes of old photos, papers, hand written notes, etc to sort through and properly store. I see scrapbooking in my future.

We somehow managed to work in bbq for a quiet 4th of July celebration here with youngest daughter and her son. Smoked bourbon chicken, grilled pork chops, zuchinni and yellow squash along with all the regular sides and root beer floats for dessert. We were so pooped we didn't even attempt going to watch fireworks any place and besides, Boo (the dog) was too upset by all the noise. He even peed in the hallway in the middle of the night (something he NEVER does), I think because he was too scared to go outside.

Maybe before this is all over with I'll become a minimalist and have a catalogue home that looks beautiful albiet staged. Naawwww... even though I am doing so much better, that would definitely be crossing a line I am no where near ready to cross. : )