Putting Things Away

I am not sure if it's been the long frozen winter months and the amount of boots, gloves, hats, scarves, and snow pants that clutter my small cabin. Or if it's the panick nearly every Sunday morning because we can't seem to find one cowboy boot for Ty or Sally is aimlessly wondering around with 2 left sweater boots in her arms. It could be the boys' "speed shoes" (which are brilliantly named so by their Pal, Judah) laying under the table or in the deep dark whole of the toy box. It could also be Lou's ballet clothes and Bet's one ragged piano book  and their notebooks they use for Children's Church. And now that I think of it, it could also be the mountain of sweaters, hoodies, light jackets, heavy coats, rain coats, dress coats, and full on Walls coveralls, used for feeding the chickens and the pony in sub zero weather all stuffed into our lives. Sigh...

Regardless of which overstuffed, spilling over, lost and out of place items it is, it has got me thinking. Puting things away where they belong is really important. I have heard myself say this 1,437 times. I have heard it said many more times than that and I often find that I mutter it to myself when my bedroom gets beyond belief. "It would be so much easier to find what I need if it had just been put back where it belongs."

And this got me thinking about hurt feelings, lessons learned, and misunderstandings. When something happens and I get rubbed the wrong way or if I perceive that someone has intentionally hurt me, I should put my response back where it belongs. Sometimes that means throw it away, forget about it and let it go. Other times it could mean to step back for a second and just think about what happened and have it close enough to the surface that you don't harbor it as bitterness but it will be right where you put it when you need to try and resolve it. The part that I struggle with is the way I just put my reaction anywhere it might fit. Like stuffing ballet shoes in the bench full of wet snow gloves. Or tossing my cowboy boots in with the snowboots. It gets frustrating and confusing when we need something and spend too much time trying to find it. If I am offended or just plain hurt or if I misread something and just need clarity, I often just simmer down and in trying to "forget about it" or "let it go" I am actually tossing or cramming it in a space it does not belong in. Sooner or later I will need to find it to try and resolve the conflict and turmoil in my soul and likely settle a similar turmoil in someone else. But I will be hard pressed to find it. And when I do find it, it won't be in the shape I need it to be in. Like the shabby old piano book that should be placed in the piano bench, if it's carelessly shoved into a backpack or a shelf with other books or left in the car to be used as carpet, it won't be what we need when we find it. Things that are out of place can depreciate and lose their effectiveness. 

This seems a bit odd, maybe even far reaching but it makes sense to me. I have a handful of missing things that I have been searching for in my own soul and I just found one today. It's not what I need, it doesn't look at all like I remember and I have been unable to relate to someone God has put in my life because of it. 

For the sake of your busy life and the sanity of your own home or for the sake of your heart that will get hurt, let's put things back where they belong. 

The Littles Got Bigger Today

Today the three Littles made their own toast and buttered it. They ate nearly half the loaf because they loved making it. I gave them the basic instructions about not sticking metal objects in a toaster and where the nob should be placed so their toast would be done perfectly. I equipped them with a red sparkle plastic knife leftover from Lou's party so they would not have to find out for themselves the reason behind my instructions. Trae took the lead, which is surprising because Sally always knows best. But she submitted and watched to see what mistakes could be made. Ty waited patiently perched on a pink stool with plastic sparkle knife in hand. You see Ty is famous already for sneaking the butter and licking it. 

The maiden voyage of toast making was a fail but you would never know it. Trae was determined to be proud of his crunchy blackened dry piece of toast. He spread the soft butter with slick 4 year old finess and ate every bite. Sally  observed the unsightly piece of overdone toast and adjusted the nob to the far left. She didn't have to wait long because her toast popped up quickly. She too overlooked the barely warm bread and topped it proudly with plenty of butter. She too ate every bite. Now Ty was left to his own attempt at making toast. I watched as he stared at the twins happily eating the fruit of their labor then he took a look at the toaster and crammed his piece of bread in it. His little hands twisted the nob clear to the right and then back to the left. He then scratched his small chubby chin and took a good look at it again. Then he adjusted the nob right square in the middle. He used all the force his small 2 year old arms could muster and pressed the lever down. He stood back and watched patiently. When it popped he cried "YES!" then he removed the toast forgot all about the butter and crawled up next to his brother and sister began feasting on his perfectly golden toasted bread. 

This act of courage and new set of skills they put on build their confidence. Before I knew it the boys were hauling in firewood for me. It's like they knew that if they could make their own toast then they were big enough to haul in the wood for Daddy. 

Notice the "speed shoes" they are wearing instead of their boots. I overheard that they could work faster this way. And notice the great combination of gloves on their hands. This was just pure laziness. They didn't want to waste time digging for matching ones. 

It's a good thing when little people not only feel big but are actually being big.