Pack Rats vs. Purgers

When I went to do my once-a-month shopping down the hill in Roseville last Friday, I noticed that people were hanging out in two sections of the store: Health & Diet OR Home Organizing. Everyone was either picking up cans of SlimFast, protein powder, and Special K Bars, or they were stocking up on storage tubs, plastic organizers, and closet shelves. It seems that the month of January makes us want to clean up our messes in our homes and shed some unwanted holiday pounds.

Those who know me very well, know that I am on a perpetual diet. It's not that I am trying to necessarily LOSE weight, it's just that I cannot stand the thought of buying a larger size of jeans. I also am trying to steer clear of diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, diverticulitis, and other maladies that are a part of my family health history.
So, I picked up a big can of Whey Protein (Cookies 'n' Cream Flavor) so I can have a protein shake for my afternoon snack. I also got a box of FiberPlus Bars...they really fill you up when accompanied by a couple of glasses of water.

I did not pick up any organizational tools at the SuperWalmart. However, that didn't stop me from doing some closet purging and cupboard-cleaning this past week. We have a substantial "basement" below our home. It has a dirt floor, but there are shelves for storage. It is a nice place to stash things like Christmas decorations and my daughter's prom dresses. However, everytime I go down there I get the urge to get the pickup truck and fill it with various junk items that my husband insists he "needs" or "I'm gonna fix that...don't throw it out." There are broken computer printers down there, along with cassette tapes from the 80's. My husband is a packrat. However, he is a "neatnik-packrat." He makes tidy piles of all his junk and his closet looks like a Nordstrom store....everything perfectly ordered. However, he also saves things such as junk mail, magazines, newspapers, church bulletins, etc. It makes him very nervous when I start going through his things to clean-up...his greatest fear is that I will throw out something important. A few years ago I went through our attic and closets and tossed out many of the items that were just taking up space. I gave away old computers, monitors, record players, vcr's, and other outdated electronics. He never noticed til we moved. He was not too happy with me, but there wasn't too much he could do at this point. I think he realizes how it is probably a good thing I "purged" our attic...otherwise he would have had to rent TWO Ryder moving trucks to move to Grass Valley. We downsized from a 5 bedroom 3 bath home to a bedroom, 2 bath single-level home. I love my house to be uncluttered and with an "open" feel. I keep my kitchen counters free from most items except for a coffee maker, and a few decorations. I also steer clear of too many knicknacks in our living area....just too much trouble when I dust. It is also a rebellion against my upbringing. My mom would purchase little souvenirs whenever they traveled and our tiny house would be wall-to-wall trinkets. There would be little silver spoons from different states, miniature cedar outhouses from Appalachia, and pottery from Mexico.

Some people shop when they are angry or depressed. If I get angry I start cleaning out drawers and throwing stuff away. It literally makes me feel so good to get rid of stuff. But please don't tell my husband. He's gonna kill me when he finds out I threw out his 7th grade algebra notebook.

Miracles: Alive and Well

Sunday afternoon my husband and I were enjoying some down-time watching some Tim Tebow football, when we got an urgent phone call from one of our church members. She was very upset and distraught because her husband, a deacon in our church, was in danger of dying. John, who is in his 80's, was not expected to live through the weekend. In fact, he must have sensed that the end was near because he called on all his children to come to the hospital. As they were gathered around him, sobbing, he, in essence, gave them a patriarchal blessing and told them each how much he loved them. Jay, his wife, really needed a minister to pray with her and the family. So I joined Mark as we jumped in the car and drove into Grass Valley and went to the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital ICU Waiting Area. When we arrived, Jay was crying and two of her daughters were consoling her and trying to calm her. Apparently John was experiencing some serious internal bleeding, and the doctors couldn't find it's source. So, they did an exploratory surgery with a camera on a probe so that they might find the source of the bleeding and stop it. We were there for several hours and had received no news. John has several medical conditions that make any invasive procedure a high risk. We were all preparing for the worst possible outcome. However, we all have great faith, and were reminded by Mark's sermon that very morning, that we need to go to God FIRST when we have health issues. So, we prayed for John and the family....for God's will to be done, for healing (if God willed), and for comfort for the loved ones. We prayed once, then later prayed again, and ultimately a third time because we had to leave. As we said the final "amen", the doctor poked his head into the room and said: "Whatever you're doing, it works---we found no more bleeding inside of John's body, and he is going to be fine." Needless to say, Jay was jubilant and praising God for his goodness. We were all amazed and had chills running up and down our spines! We had anticipated losing John, but God had other plans! We were all grateful that the Lord has given Jay her husband back, and hope that this miracle will be a testimony to others who have lost hope. It definitely renewed my faith. Recently I was reading an account in the gospel of Matthew (chapter 20, v.29-34) of two blind men who were shouting at Jesus as he walking by. The crowd told them to be quiet, but Jesus and stopped and asked them point-blank: "What do you want me to do for you?" They replied, "Lord, we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight and followed him. The thing that stood out to me was the simple question Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus still asks us that question today. He cares about what is causing us anxiety and worry TODAY---in our lives. He WANTS to heal us, to meet our needs. We need to just tell Him what we want for Him to do. That is encouraging for me to know when all of life's stresses and problems seem overwhelming and there isn't anyone to turn to, except God.