Unpacking

The past week has been a whirlwind.  We got our new house last Monday, and since then every room in the house got a coat of paint, the place was cleaned from top to bottom, a bathroom was remodeled, all our stuff arrived, and we have begun the process of unpacking and settling in to our new home.  All in the last 7 days!  To say I’m exhausted is an understatement, but I’m so grateful for the progress we have made that I keep going! 

Unpacking is an interesting process.  For me, it is hard to prioritize, because I want to see progress in making the home mine.  I would really rather start hanging pictures and décor than deal with the piles of boxes because I want the house to look “cute.”  I have to keep reminding myself to get the boxes and chaos dealt with first, THEN we can do cute.  Cute won’t matter if we are living in chaos.

I’m am also sometimes amazed at the stuff I have held on to.  In 11 years of marriage, this is our 4^th home, yet certainly the largest accumulation of stuff since we were in our last house for 9 years.  As I unpack I’m finding things that haven’t been used since our first house, but I valued them enough to hold on to them.  Some of those things are finding a use here even though they have been in a box for 9-10 years.  Other things were so important to me in our last home, but here there is no place for them.  There are also things I have held on to all these years that in the unpacking process I am deciding to let go of them.  I have a large tote started of “yard sale” items that aren’t “making the cut” in the new house.

It has been fun to watch (a) rediscover his toys.  Many of them have been in storage since April when we prepared our other house to go on the market.  He is SO excited with every box or bag we unpack!  He has to announce each piece, even little things that I would deem kind of insignificant.  “My ball!! My blocks! My farmer! My bear!”  I have tried to just open one box at a time so he will really take the time to go through it.  Things he doesn’t seem so excited about are be set aside to add to the “yard sale” tote, though some things I would have cast off (if sorting without him) he is playing with as if they were great treasurers. 

As I work through the piles and piles of boxes, for me it has been an emotional process.  It has made me think about the things I have held on to, and the things I can let go of.  Things that didn’t have a place in my life for a while, but now do again.  I think about friendships that I treasure and hold on to, but emotional baggage that I have had to let go.  There are gifts inside of me that have laid dormant for a few months or years but I am feeling the need to begin using them again.  I also realize that I have to remind my self to prioritize- while the “cute” parts of the house won’t matter if we are living in chaos, so with my life.  If I have not prioritized correctly, the exterior is simply a façade.  I have been working hard to still be intentional about my daily devotional/quiet time and taking time to be present with (A) & (a).  It won’t matter how unpacked and cute our home is if the relationships within that home are in chaos. 

Someone was SOO excited to rekindle his friendship with one of his doggies after 5 weeks apart!  Can't wait to get Miss Sadie out here too!

And I am trying to give myself some grace in the process.  It is not going to happen overnight, there are too many boxes.  If I did unpack without going through things, I guarantee I would continue holding on to things that need to be purged, that will just be wasting space in our home.  Or I might also overlook a gem just waiting to be re-discovered.  I have to give my heart the same grace also as I am “unpacking” it into this new life.  If I don’t allow myself to work through my emotions, I am going to end up holding on to things that need to be purged, things that will just be taking up precious space in my heart and mind.  I also don’t want to overlook pieces of who God created me to be that He is wanting me to re-discover.  And as with my house I keep reminding myself… it’s a process.  And when I am finished it is going to be worth every tedious step along the way.    

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21