Simplicity. Harmony. Opportunity.

Clutter abounds.
There are boxes everywhere and I have already packed things that I think I won't need between now and next week, but really - we're having guests this weekend (Uriah's parents are visiting before we move to Europe - that's what his mom is calling our move, anyway - and the drive to visit grows from 7 hours to 10 hours.) and I packed all the towels last week except the four I thought we'd need.  You know, being a family of 4 and all.  Apparently a few of us will be sharing this weekend.  And by a few of us, I mean Uriah, Finn and I will be sharing a towel.

Discord is around every corner.
Finn wants to help me clean, which is sweet and I totally can't wait until he's big enough to scrub the toilet because I hate that job more than anything else.  But really, Scrubbin' Bubbles and a 2 year old sounds like the precursor to a quick ER trip, so I abstained from starting his training too early.  Anyway, while I was elbow deep in bath tub funk, Finn took it upon himself to get a snack.  He wanted cake.  He knew it was in the refrigerator.  And after a period of quiet that lasted too long for my mom-radar, I found him half-way in the refrigerator, rooting around for his snack.

Moving is difficult.
My back is sore, which worries me a little bit because last time we moved I messed that thing up for weeks, so I'm being very careful - you know, lift with your knees and all that crap.  I'm worried that not everything will fit in our truck.  I have lists for my lists and even though I know that we're on schedule, I keep thinking that one small slip - one thing not checked each day - will completely throw us off track.

Simplicity. Harmony. Opportunity.
Instead of losing my mind, which is my usual MO for moving, I am taking more deep breaths.  I am letting more things go.  I am throwing things away that I've hung on to for no reason.  I remind myself daily that this clutter is okay - it means we're on the right track.  The half empty-closets and drawers mean we're half-way there.  The difficult children, the tempers and the tears, are because they are feeling as uprooted and unsteady as I am and I need to be patient and kind with my words.  Everything that we did wrong last time we moved - and we did a lot of things wrong, we are trying to do right this time.

Growth comes slowly and sometimes can't be seen or measured until we encounter a similar situation down the road.  In spite of the clutter, discord, and difficulty, I feel so much better about this spot in the road that I am at.

{52 Photos Project | Week 13: Growth}