27. Volunteer My Time on Morningside Drive

My Moms is hands-down the best moms in the world. (I double-dog dare you to disagree.) She and I have lots in common, starting with such a strong resemblance that should I decide one day to contest my paternity no one would take me seriously. We also share wavy hair, good skin, an obsessive-compulsive need to plan, a love of books, anything whatsoever to do with Christmas, an enjoyment of window shopping anywhere, an ability to find pretty much anything with 98.5% accuracy using our super-spidey sense, and a gentle nature that runs from confrontation at Olympic speed.

There are, however, a few quality qualities Moms has that didn't get passed on to yours truly. For example, she is THE 'Hostess with the Mostess' in any given situation...an amazing party planner with a gracious heart. (My philosophy: Make yourself at home...the fridge is over there.) And as a nurse, she is also exceptionally calm in any given crisis. (Not so, me.) In reverse, there are a few qualities I got that didn't come from Moms (or Dad, for that matter...)

One of those qualities is the ability to organize. Now this may have been a learned trait...from the time I left for college I have moved 16 or so times and my parents have spent the last thirty years in the same home. Irregardless, I have a knack for keeping things orderly (or at least in some sort of controlled chaos). And my beautiful Moms does NOT.

So with this in mind, here is the situation. My parent's parents are all deceased (hence, lots of inherited items); they are empty nesters (hello, old room); they are BOTH (yes, Dads, you, too) Pack-Rats of the highest order. And the family homestead, while not flush with closet space, has an entire back section (read: one-half again the actual living space) that is not used for anything but miscellaneous storage and laundry. Multiply that scenario by thirty plus years and you have...well, a LOT of ...well, we weren't really sure what they had a lot of, but that was the problem!

Enter me. Only daughter of a wonderful mother. I have told her for years that if she passed on prior to sorting through all the chaos in her house I would be following her into the by-and-by and dragging her back by her ear. In an effort to avoid doing just that, I promised long ago to help her with this project. After leaving my job at the end of 2009, I commenced with Operation Organize the Fam!

We started with two mornings per week and my old room. Out of my old closet came loads of her clothes, my baby things she had so carefully saved (so cute!), purses, shoes, china, boxes of old photos....I wasn't entirely certain we weren't dealing with a magical wardrobe that would lead us into Narnia at any moment. And as anyone who has tried to clean out a closet knows, everything you touch requires a decision. Sometimes getting rid of something is the easiest decision to make, because if you keep the little whosit, then you also have to figure out what to do with it! But Moms started strong (with just a little gentle encouragement from me...I have watched a lot of Clean Sweep and Hoarders, after all). We took clothes to consignment, bags to Goodwill, odds and ends to a little shop for seniors, books to the library. When I left after lunchtime each day, she got homework to work on before next week. And s..l..o..w..l..y, my old room turned into a viable guest room again along with a reading nook for her personal enjoyment!

Next up was the built-in in the hallway, the bathroom closet & medicine chest (which hadn't been emptied in about 10 years, I'm sure), the kitchen pantry, a few kitchen cabinets, two china cabinets and (insert ominous music here) the back rooms. We sorted like with like and moved things around to create a special closet for Christmas items, a designated place for extra kitchen gadgets, a shelf for pickle-making supplies, a drawer for miscellaneous gifts and an organized area for all her writing supplies and cards. We started organizing all her decorative items into bins by color and the toiletries into containers according to their specific use. We created a memory box for her to put in old cards, newspaper articles and miscellany (like some angora ankle-cuffs from the 50's!) that she wasn't quite ready to part with. We shopped for containers and pretty organizers (my favorite part!) and spent time talking about what sort of order would help make her life easier. In about 3 1/2 months of mornings we accomplished a lot, and she did even more in between times.

And the best part, of course, was just getting to spend time together. I have been blessed with the most wonderful mother and I so enjoy spending time with her...this was an experience I will always cherish, as I truly felt I was giving back to her a very little bit of all that she has given me throughout my lifetime.

Now since the Major and I moved in June, Moms has been continuing to work on organizing her house...I will have to wait for a visit back home to see what other progress she has made. But no matter if she ever gets everything sorted out, I think maybe I have helped her to discover how good it feels to bring some order to your chaos and how letting things go frees up space, not only in your house, but in yourself. We all need that free space in order to make room for other good things that are on their way to us.

And I need a place to sleep when I come to visit. (Love you, Moms.)

P.S. Have Moms & I inspired you to think about de-cluttering some yourself? Here are a few links to how to donate your old books, DVDs and CDs, cell phones, electronics, old eyeglasses, pet items, prom dresses, women's career-wear, or leftover medical supplies (such as from a prolonged illness in the home). A few other neat links are The Freecycle Network, where you can search by location for things to get (and give) for free in your own area, and Give Your Stuff Away Day on September 25th, where you put usable unwanted items on your curb for anyone to take (in a responsible manner, of course). Very cool idea.