Jo's Home Make-over

My sister, Jolene, is one of my very best friends.

We're as different as night and day,

but isn't it true that opposites attract?

Over the past 12 years Jo has gone back to school and received

both her batchelor's and master's degrees

and has spent 8 years teaching young minds.

I love my sister!

And I love to organize.

SO...

I drove to Henderson, Nevada, with my Mom to spend 8 delightful days

working side by side with Jo

while organizing her home.

We started the job by emptying the kitchen cupboards,

tossing a few old or unused items and then putting it back together again.

Mom occupied her time by doing some light reading in the telephone book.

(There's no explaining some people's taste in literature.)

Jo retrieved one of Neal's watercolors of our Dad in the Army.

Eventually we worked our way into the closet where Jo said a fond farewell
to two garbage bags full of clothing that she's been hanging onto
for nearly two decades!
We sorted and organized several bins of fabrics,
finding all manner of treasure as we worked.

As we gathered, sorted, tossed, and organized from one room to the next
there was constant laughter and we sang a song of liberation!
Change is difficult and letting go can be painful,
but we celebrated as we watched the garbage bags become filled with unessential clutter
...some that made its way to the landfill, and much that will be
donated to the nearest charity organization.

Jo and I managed to work in time to visit the local Curves club to keep in shape.

My nephew, Neal, and his wife, Stefanie spent several days at Jo's
before taking their cute girls, Madelyn & Lydia, and heading east
for art school in New York.

On Sunday my niece, Tara, her husband, Josh, and their five children,
Kayla, Kenny, Kara, Kimber, and Kami, joined the group for a BBQ.
I loved getting to know the kids better while watching them play,
engage in a pillow fight with Grandpa, and giggle while keeping a balloon airborne.

Rendal was on the family farm most of the week, but came home for the weekend.
He tells us that his shiner came from falling off a 6-foot ladder.

We three girls,
Mom, Jo, and I,
had a wonderful week together
and felt a bit of emotion when the time came for us to head home.

As I've contemplated the purpose of our tasks this past week, I've come to realize that there are few of us who do not have excess clutter in our lives. Perhaps William Morris was on the right track when he said:

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

Or Vernon Howard's words:

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.

I think I'll try to remember that as I begin liberating my own home, mind, & spirit.