In the midst of my freaking out about the possibility of permanently living in a 800 square foot, 4 room house, Saint Joseph kindly arrange for my Rosary Group to host an incredible speaker, Abby Sasscer.
By my nature, I'm allergic to routine. The hardest, hardest part of my Mothering job has been making a housekeeping routine and sticking to it. I've read almost every Oprah, anti-clutter book ever written. My usual response is "these suggestions would be great, if I was a completely different person."
What makes Abby's notebook so unique, is that she a super, super Catholic. Her advice isn't "You should write a will. It's really hard on your family if you die without one." She says "my husband and I have had way to many relatives that spent their last hours on earth filling out Health Care Power of Attorney Forms. You have your whole life to prepare for the earthly things. Lets take care of them now so that one your death bed you can solely concentrate on your friendship with Jesus."
Having a solely Catholic focus, made all the difference for me.
I'm not battling clutter just to be a good Mom. I'm fostering the value of "Holy Detachment" so that my spouse, my children and myself are constantly focused on thought of heaven and not distracted by three coats sitting in a pool of mud on the floor.
Here is the link to her Home as A Haven website. She has instructions on how to download a free copy of her notebook. (A full book is coming 2010.) The best part is that there is a free, 1-800 number to call for a personal consultation. She calls her visit her "Elizabeth visits." I can't stress enough how loving and helpful her advice will be for you. If you are struggling, or if you just want to up your game, take advantage of this women's talent.
