Use It All Up!

I have this written across the top of the dry erase board on my kitchen refrigerator. It's something I'm living by in every facet of my life, Use up the bagged salad before it goes bad. Use up multiple cleaning products before I buy more. Use up the fabric stash, the yarn, the greeting cards. 

I've become ruthless about decluttering. I saw up close and personal what it was like to deal with a household of unwanted possessions when my in-laws and my parents passed away. In the case of my parents I had the difficult task of administering their estate, going through every nook and cranny of their home, and being shocked by what I found. An entire kitchen drawer dedicated to dried up rubber bands and twist ties from bread wrappers. A whole closet shelf of washed out plastic pudding cup containers. Every single Christmas card that they received dated, which filled up drawers upon drawers of dressers. I could never understand why my mom wouldn't let me do some cleaning up when I would visit. I was always relegated only to the guest room. Period. When she died I finally saw that the hoarding had been hidden. I swore to myself then and there that I wouldn't let my children go through the emotional pain and physical fatigue that I was experiencing. Use it all up.

GOALS:

And I want to use myself up, too. I want to give of myself so much that when I die there's nothing I've left undone, unsaid, unforgiven. Everything I have comes from God. Let me give it back to him through love and service to others. I surrender myself to His will. Let my life and my actions be a sacrifice.

To that end I set long-term, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. I've been a list-maker and goal-setter for as long as I can remember. I like to challenge myself. Sometimes I fall short, but I always appreciate the stretch and the journey. 

My September goal is to make a pillowcase per day. Each pillowcase uses just over a yard of fabric, so I can bust a lot of stash this way. Once I have a total of 50 pillowcases they'll be donated to The Children's Home of Cincinnati, which serves thousands of foster children and their families throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Faithfully, 

Linda