Autumn Cleaning

Well, we have all heard of spring cleaning - I am doing some serious autumn cleaning.....

I am cleaning out my closet tomorrow - and dumping all the clothes I will never wear, getting rid of the clothes that are 4 sizes too big from the weight I lost last year and getting rid of the shoes that I no longer love. I was just holding onto them because I was certain I would fail - that I would regain all of that weight & need those clothes. I have more faith in myself than that right now.

I am cleaning up my schedule - getting rid of the serious time wasters and adding in some more family time and more quiet time. Seriously, why do we hold onto old habits - bad habits - is it just because we have always done it that way? I am learning the art of saying "no" and protecting MY time with my kids.

I have cleaned up my TIVO - this one hurt A LOT - along the line of the time wasters, I now only TIVO stuff I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to watch AND we are ONLY watching TIVOed shows. This is one of those OLD BAD habits - the TV was on to drown out what we did not want to discuss, see or hear.... TV is a tool to use, just like this computer is a tool, now I will use them to serve me - not me to serve them.....

I have come clean about something that had been weighing heavily on me - and tossed out the anger and the shame that went along with it. WOW - it is amazing how much anger one can feel over certain situations and how much shame - how much we do not want others to know when we have been manipulated and taken advantage of.

I have also cleansed myself of a toxic relationship. I finally feel released from my marriage by God. I am free of that whole situation. I hope that somewhere down the line, I will know why God held me to that commitment for as long as he did, even after the legal divorce was final, but for now, I will just be happy that He has released me. We will remain friendly - we have been friends for close to 25 years and we have a child to consider - but he ended the marriage long ago - the divorce last year was really a formality. Thanks be to God that He showed me that - that He allowed me to see the truth and that He gave me the strength to make the decisions I have had to make in this situation.

I am so very thankful to God for all the blessings of my life. My children are the joy of my existence. My son is a brilliant, empathetic creature who cares so much for others. My daughter is a walking miracle - she is kind-hearted and emotional and, oh my, does she love Jesus with all her heart! I am relatively healthy. I have a job that not only provides comic relief, but also provides me with money to care for my kids and the time to spend with them.

A friend sent me a very awesome e-mail last week & this is an excerpt from it. I want to leave you with this bc it was very powerful for me. (I think it is TD Jakes, but I am not positive):

There are people who can walk away from you.

And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.

Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead.. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something.. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye.. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay.

Let them go!!

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains .......

LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth......

LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you.

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge.....

LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction... ..

LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents

LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude.... ...

LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......

LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him.........

LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship. ....

LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves.. ....

LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed ............

LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying 'take your hands off of it,' then you need to......

LET IT GO!!!