I know! I know! They are moving again!! Unbelievable! I thought so too, but it is too true. I am packing up my household once again to move to another house. As I went to bed last night having to weave my way through the boxes in the hall way, I could feel it start to press down on my shoulders. FEELINGS OF BEING OVERWHELMED! For those of you who know me pretty good, you know this are not feelings I have dealt with very well in the past. But as I knelt for my prayers and I began to thank the Lord for the blessings in my life, I will tell you the truth, I had a hard time thinking of any. But this morning as Eric left for work and I lay in bed listening to the silence in my house, (D'Kota is at an AP encampment and Dylan and Rufus are at Aunt Wendy's house for the rest of the week) I began to feel that weight again. But as I started to plead with my Father to help me through yet another move, another feeling started. A couple of weeks ago we helped a sister here in Huntington move to another little town named Durke. Not an active member of the church but as we all would do, we showed up anyway. Along with many members of our ward to move her. Now as I am sure you are imaging how your moves and mine are, boxes everywhere, labeled with what is inside and where they go. Piles upon of boxes and boxes of piles of boxes, WHOA ANGIE! Breath deep, in and out! I'm OK now. Anywho, this sister's move was not like that. She had boxes alright, but nothing was in them. We had to put things in them for her while her and her family pretty much stood by watching us box things up. Granted she was elderly and not able to move without a wheel chair. But having to put her things in boxes and keep from gagging was a challenge for me. Big shocker for you, my name is Angie and I have CDO (OCD for those of you who do not). I am actually repacking some boxes this morning because they just don't feel right so as I was packing this sister's things I had to put out of my mind that the THICK layer of grossness was getting on my hands and my kids hands. And that the spider and it's web was now a major part of her belongings and thus needs to go in the box. But the moldy food that was in the fridge and yes, the dead bird that was wrapped in a paper towel that was in the freezer was going to go in the trash can. Don't ask me to help you move if you can not handle me throwing out your favorite and best things! Poor Eric and D'Kota had to take the BIG rubber maid container that was her cats' litter box (and was leaking, little vomit in my mouth on that one, sorry) outside and both of them felt REALLY lucky to find some bleach in a bottle just inside the back door to wash their hands off with. Their clothes you ask? Trash!! This sister did not have the knowledge or motivation to take care of her things. I know I may not have the newest things either, but my Mother taught me to take care of the things I have. And I tried hard not to think about the last time her house was cleaned. So as I lay in bed this morning feeling overwhelmed about having to move again, another thought entered my mind. Angie, sweetheart, maybe you need to replace that feeling of being overwhelmed with thankfulness. Thankful that you have nice things to move. A LOT of nice things to move which is why you are worried about whether or not you have enough boxes for ALL of your things. Be grateful that you have anything at all. We helped a family just after Christmas move that had nothing to move because their house had burned to the ground. Taking everything that they had attached memories too. And here I am worried that Dad's trailer is not big enough to haul away all the things I am getting rid of. Bags of clothes and an extra kitchen table and chairs. Things that my growing family, no not in numbers, but sizes, me smaller, the boys bigger, has no need of any more. Which is a sign to me that we have food to help us grow stronger and healthier. And the means to buy the clothes we need. Because I have a husband that pushed himself to educate himself despite the things people around him were telling him was not going to happen. But he did it anyway, knowing that the reason he is one of the youngest Superintendents around is because he had the support of his Father in Heaven that makes the impossible, possible. And I have parents that pushed me to know how to work hard at taking care of the home I have and the things that I have. Not to be too proud to go to thrift stores and yard sales to get the things my family needs so that I can afford the things they want. My sons do not know what it feels like to have a hungry tummy. They only know what a warm coat feels like and what clean clothes smell like. They do not have the stress of being eight or nine and feeling the tug in your stomach but pushing it down because you know you need to find something to feed your little brother and baby brother. Because your mom is pasted out on the floor from spending all her money on beer yet again. No, my sons' have the stress of standing in a clean home in front of the pantry or fridge having too much to choose from. Or having so much to entertain them that they are bored instead. My sons do not know what it is like not to have a roof over their heads or water running from every tap in the house and burning their hands hot if they want. They do not know what it like not to know their Dad and have him as a major part of their lives. I think that maybe I have learned a little of what the Lord wanted me to learn from this town. So as I continue to pack the plethora of things my family has, a new feeling will rest on my shoulders. Instead of having tears from being overwhelmed at moving again and having SO much to do, I will have tears of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for all the things I GET to pack.
I know! I know! They are moving again!! Unbelievable! I thought so too, but it is too true. I am packing up my household once again to move to another house. As I went to bed last night having to weave my way through the boxes in the hall way, I could feel it start to press down on my shoulders. FEELINGS OF BEING OVERWHELMED! For those of you who know me pretty good, you know this are not feelings I have dealt with very well in the past. But as I knelt for my prayers and I began to thank the Lord for the blessings in my life, I will tell you the truth, I had a hard time thinking of any. But this morning as Eric left for work and I lay in bed listening to the silence in my house, (D'Kota is at an AP encampment and Dylan and Rufus are at Aunt Wendy's house for the rest of the week) I began to feel that weight again. But as I started to plead with my Father to help me through yet another move, another feeling started. A couple of weeks ago we helped a sister here in Huntington move to another little town named Durke. Not an active member of the church but as we all would do, we showed up anyway. Along with many members of our ward to move her. Now as I am sure you are imaging how your moves and mine are, boxes everywhere, labeled with what is inside and where they go. Piles upon of boxes and boxes of piles of boxes, WHOA ANGIE! Breath deep, in and out! I'm OK now. Anywho, this sister's move was not like that. She had boxes alright, but nothing was in them. We had to put things in them for her while her and her family pretty much stood by watching us box things up. Granted she was elderly and not able to move without a wheel chair. But having to put her things in boxes and keep from gagging was a challenge for me. Big shocker for you, my name is Angie and I have CDO (OCD for those of you who do not). I am actually repacking some boxes this morning because they just don't feel right so as I was packing this sister's things I had to put out of my mind that the THICK layer of grossness was getting on my hands and my kids hands. And that the spider and it's web was now a major part of her belongings and thus needs to go in the box. But the moldy food that was in the fridge and yes, the dead bird that was wrapped in a paper towel that was in the freezer was going to go in the trash can. Don't ask me to help you move if you can not handle me throwing out your favorite and best things! Poor Eric and D'Kota had to take the BIG rubber maid container that was her cats' litter box (and was leaking, little vomit in my mouth on that one, sorry) outside and both of them felt REALLY lucky to find some bleach in a bottle just inside the back door to wash their hands off with. Their clothes you ask? Trash!! This sister did not have the knowledge or motivation to take care of her things. I know I may not have the newest things either, but my Mother taught me to take care of the things I have. And I tried hard not to think about the last time her house was cleaned. So as I lay in bed this morning feeling overwhelmed about having to move again, another thought entered my mind. Angie, sweetheart, maybe you need to replace that feeling of being overwhelmed with thankfulness. Thankful that you have nice things to move. A LOT of nice things to move which is why you are worried about whether or not you have enough boxes for ALL of your things. Be grateful that you have anything at all. We helped a family just after Christmas move that had nothing to move because their house had burned to the ground. Taking everything that they had attached memories too. And here I am worried that Dad's trailer is not big enough to haul away all the things I am getting rid of. Bags of clothes and an extra kitchen table and chairs. Things that my growing family, no not in numbers, but sizes, me smaller, the boys bigger, has no need of any more. Which is a sign to me that we have food to help us grow stronger and healthier. And the means to buy the clothes we need. Because I have a husband that pushed himself to educate himself despite the things people around him were telling him was not going to happen. But he did it anyway, knowing that the reason he is one of the youngest Superintendents around is because he had the support of his Father in Heaven that makes the impossible, possible. And I have parents that pushed me to know how to work hard at taking care of the home I have and the things that I have. Not to be too proud to go to thrift stores and yard sales to get the things my family needs so that I can afford the things they want. My sons do not know what it feels like to have a hungry tummy. They only know what a warm coat feels like and what clean clothes smell like. They do not have the stress of being eight or nine and feeling the tug in your stomach but pushing it down because you know you need to find something to feed your little brother and baby brother. Because your mom is pasted out on the floor from spending all her money on beer yet again. No, my sons' have the stress of standing in a clean home in front of the pantry or fridge having too much to choose from. Or having so much to entertain them that they are bored instead. My sons do not know what it is like not to have a roof over their heads or water running from every tap in the house and burning their hands hot if they want. They do not know what it like not to know their Dad and have him as a major part of their lives. I think that maybe I have learned a little of what the Lord wanted me to learn from this town. So as I continue to pack the plethora of things my family has, a new feeling will rest on my shoulders. Instead of having tears from being overwhelmed at moving again and having SO much to do, I will have tears of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for all the things I GET to pack. 
