I truly love Monday! It is the day I clean my house - yip - I love cleaning my house! At 60 years old I still have a few OCDs and a tidy, clean house is one of them. Do I have the energy for doing said chores? Nope! I sure don't! Living with MS makes housework a challenge. However, I love the feeling of getting it done so I push on through with a lot of breaks!
As I was cleaning yesterday I found myself thinking about how Sunday (my favorite day of the week) is the day the Lord gave us to rest, rejuvenate, serve others and worship God. It is my day of "spiritual cleaning" if you will. Sunday is the day I try to put my spiritual and emotional "house or self" in order.
D&C 88:119 "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.."
Monday I take care of my physical needs - a clean and orderly house. I have two pups that I love so much. They are constant companions and bring me such joy. However, they are messy - yip - furry and muddy especially during the winter. If you want to keep a clean house and have pets - then you are committing to daily vacuuming/mopping and picking up after them. It is worth it. I wish I could train them to help with chores - but so far that has not happened! So they get to spend the day outside while I clean.
Mentally, cleaning my house makes me feel good. Nothing lifts my spirits like walking through a clean house that smells good and looks fabulous. Are there days that I just don't feel well and can't manage to get it all done? You bet. I have learned to be OK with that too. I have learned that I have to take care of myself so that I have the strength and energy to do all the things that are important in my life.
Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
I am not a person that likes clutter. I am not someone that attaches to "stuff" and has to hang on to everything I have ever received. If something hasn't been used in 6 months or more then I am OK with tossing it out - sending it to goodwill for someone else to enjoy! By keeping "clutter and stuff" under control I find that keeping my house picked up is a much easier task. Even when my wood floors need to be cleaned or my rugs could use vacuuming; if my house is clutter free and picked up - the rest doesn't look so bad if I miss it a day or two. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do. You can't be there for others if you haven't taken care of yourself first. Fill your own reserves, so you have something to draw from in serving others.
I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Brent L. Top:
"To preserve the temporal balance of our lives, we may need to say no to those activities for which we do not have time, resources, or energy. We need not feel guilty or selfish in periodically pulling back to regroup, for there is a strength that comes from sometimes just being home with loved ones."
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