Creating Sanctuary at home for yourself and for the people you love most is a lifelong journey. Along the way there are many wonderful days of joy and complete satisfaction, and then there are Those Days in which you can be overwhelmed with the chaos of daily life in this fast-paced world. I know because I’ve been there many times. Lord, help me, I'm there right now!
But over the years, one of the things that has helped me to have hope for experiencing true Home Sanctuary is to just make some kind of progress each day. Even the smallest of victories can buoy my spirits enough to keep me going.
I started looking at the tasks on my to-do list, and the things I want to do beyond that list to really make this place feel like a sanctuary, a refuge for my family. I realized that many (if not most) of them are very small things. It’s just that when they are added up together, the list can look so daunting I have a complete melt-down and can’t do ANY of it!
But what if I could do just one small thing each day to keep me moving in the right direction? If each thing took an average of 5 little minutes (loose change really), it would add up to 1,825 minutes in the course of a year! That’s about 30.5 hours of tasks, except they would in such small increments I’d hardly even remember doing them!
And what a difference just a tiny bit of effort makes! Sometimes I get so focused on the BIG things that I forget just how meaningful those small things can be.
On January 1, I’m going to start posting one “Small Thing” each weekday that I’m going try to do in my own home to create a little more sanctuary for my "peep's." I'll still post my other thoughts as I normally do, but these will just be daily snippets that I'd like to add.
I'm inviting you to join me in the small things because I think it will be much more fun with a Company Girl along.
Some of you may be way beyond my thinking here, but others of you know what it’s like to just need a lifeline to keep from drowning in a sea of despair.
Maybe you'd just like to have easy things to put on your list and then cross off.
Or perhaps you are wondering where to start to do things differently, to make a better life for your family.
Let's start with just one small thing at a time, period.
Most of the things will fall into the “Order” category, because it seems like that’s where I need it the most. Sometimes something as simple as clearing my countertops is enough to keep the wheels on for another day.
But there will also be small things to do foster “Peace” inside these walls. Peace in my relationships is really the foundation for everything else, and how often I need a gentle reminder to pay attention to what God is doing, and to pay attention my loved ones! Can Peace happen in 5 little minutes? Maybe not every time, but it can’t hurt to try.
Lastly, I will include simple things that we can all do to bring "Beauty" into our homes. Darn it, I want to live in a place that’s pretty and feels good! And even the rough and tough men around here like to see a fresh tablecloth on the table every now and then, even if they don’t admit it. Beauty is what appeals to all the senses to make home a special place.
This isn't going to be a complete Fly Lady cleaning routine. Besides the fact that the Fly Lady wears me out, I want to focus on the little things that matter beyond cleaning. And ya'll know I'm not Martha Stewart, with an unlimited staff and budget to work with. I'm on a shoestring here, my friends. It's gonna be quick, easy and inexpensive.
I am posting this now so that if you want to participate every day (or every now and then) next year, you can have a couple of weeks to think about it.
So, my dear Company Girls and Occasional Readers, I hope you’ll join me in doing just one "Small Thing" each day in 2008. I will post a list of supplies I think we'll need so it will be easy to stick to the 5 minutes (or so) rule. And don't worry: it's not going to be actual WORK. Some of it will be more fun than anything, you'll see!
As we approach the new year, I am praying for your homes and your families. I’m praying for your efforts and your hearts..... that each small thing you do will be a joy because it’s done out of gratitude and love.
Plus, what could be better than doing those small things with your friends?
