About seven months ago, both of my web sites were hacked.  For some reason, people enjoy to randomly break into other people’s web sites. It is so frustrating.  My husband, who is computer savvy, had to finally hire and pay someone to fix them.  At one point, we thought we would have to literally scrap them and start over.  So, I have not been able to write my blog.  Thank you for those of you who have missed them. I will now start back!  A new start with a new, beautiful beginning.

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It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants.  What are you industrious about?  Henry David Thoreau, writer.

I love beauty. I love to be outdoors and look up at the sky and see those beautiful blue skies, white fluffy clouds, and then perhaps see a lone bird fly across it all. I love the beauty of the sun set with those beautiful reds and oranges and purple steaks across the sky.

So perhaps because I love beauty, I want to bring that love of beauty into my home. I never really understood why I like to make my bed, or keep my cabinets organized or my house clean.  But now I understand.  Beauty in my home brings me joy.

I read what a Japanese woman named Marie Kondo wrote about how she feels in the area of clutter and beauty.  In her first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and in her second, Spark Joy, she compares cleaning, de-cluttering and her annual closet purge to a Zen-like experience.

This attitude is similar to what you’d find in a Container Store ad:  A neat home is a happy home.  But she takes it a step further: “The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand ask:  Does this spark joy?  If it does, keep it.  If not, dispose of it.”

She also goes beyond de-cluttering into the realm of taking care of little things which will add up to the larger picture: a more organized home.  Here are some examples:

1. One of her tips is to keep nothing on your kitchen counters.  Why?  She can then wipe them easily which keeps them clean as well as giving the kitchen a calm feeling.  This leads to papers and mail less likely to fall in a stack which usually just gets bigger.
2. Clean out your purse and wallet each day, removing those receipts, papers, etc. that need to be in their own zone.
3. Proper way of storing items like bras.  Yes, that seems silly but she states that when you open the drawer and see your bras folded correctly, by color, it’s a positive start to your day.

In other words, she believes happiness is enhanced by making small moments, even folding a bra, as joyful as possible.

1. Value your things and be grateful for them.  She states that when we are truly grateful for the apartment or house or kitchen or drawers or purse that we have, we will value them which leads to a more organized and joyful home.
2. For those of you with small children, you are probably rolling your eyes thinking, “I would just like to be able to put dinner on the table and clean clothes in the dresser!”  And I totally understand.  But perhaps take just one tip which I think would be:  as you go through your day, be thankful to God for each thing you touch or do.  Being grateful will add joy and meaning to your life.

To summarize:

Her main attitude in caring for her home is just that — caring for her home as something special and with great beauty.

And this is my ultimate end whenever I clean, organize, cook, set the table, sweep the front walk or plant my containers:  Even though the work is hard, I want to be able to walk into my bedroom and see it ordered by the bed made and the room clean.  I want to walk through my whole house and enjoy a plant that is growing well or that the kitchen is clean and orderly.  Though these are small parts in the whole of my day, seeing beauty in my home brings me a peace and a calmness I have learned helps me thrive, feel peaceful and closer to my Lord.

Manna from Heaven

A wise woman builds her house, while a foolish woman tears hers down by her own efforts.  To do right honors God. Proverbs 14:1-2 LB