After 10 days off, I returned to work yesterday. And I am thrilled to be back! Weird, huh?
The truth is that last week was no vacation at all. I spent the entire week helping my mom clean out her attic (which was filled with all of my grandparent's possessions - who, bless their wonderful souls, were unable to throw anything out) and her rental storage unit (which was full of all of her life's possessions up until 7 years ago, when she moved in with my grandpa to take care of him). This monumental task has been hanging over my mom's head for several years, but just seemed too overwhelming to tackle, so it never got done. Well, now that I am handling all of my mom's finances for her (that's another story altogether), I have been looking for ways to reduce her monthly expenses. At $145 per month, that rental storage unit was clearly a big drain on her finances, so it had to be eliminated. So, I told my mom that it was time to do the big clean out, and thankfully she was more than ready to take on the challenge. We worked unbelievably hard all week to accomplish our goal and, much to our surprise, we actually finished. This truly was a miracle considering how much there was to be done. We both knew that there was a lot of stuff in both the attic and the storage unit, but neither of us anticipated just how much there was. It was far worse than the worst case scenario that we envisioned. At many points during the week, I thought that finishing in time for my mom's scheduled tag sale this past weekend was impossible, but we did it! I am so proud of us and so happy that this weight has been lifted off of my mom's shoulders. She is the most caring and giving person I have ever known and she deserves greatness in her life. Anything that I can do to reduce the amount of stress in her life is well worth it. Even if it makes me exhausted and bruised from head to toe! And, the best news of all...she made a TON of money in her tag sale. Success all around!!!
So, here's to my mom and the great strides she is making in taking control of her life. I am so proud of her strength, her determination and her faith. She is living proof that it is never too late to do anything that you set your mind to. She is tackling issues that she has been dealing with for many years, and this clean sweep is another item that she can check off her list. Although cleaning out an attic and storage space may seem like no big deal to many, getting this done has truly been cleansing for both her home and her soul. And knowing how happy and relieved she is to have this done brings great joy into my life.
But, seriously, I need a vacation to recover :-) Thank goodness we are leaving for the Cape in only 2 1/2 weeks!
