Motherwit for Extra Time at Home

We are excited about Motherwit from Osedella’s Daughter. This resource is designed to encourage us to consider practical tips and steps that can help us to remain focused in our relationship with the Lord and with each other. We’d like to introduce Motherwit from Osedella’s Daughter to you here in our Blog. As we receive your submissions to Motherwit, we will post your submission along with Motherwit’s responses and encouragements. Check out this practical tip for living in uncertain times and don’t forget to submit your question to Motherwit. Also, check out the vintage photos of Osedella, the one who put the “wit” in Motherwit!

Motherwit for Extra Time at Home

​As many of us are spending more time in our homes because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I encourage you to use this time to attack projects that you typically avoid. The key is to not try to handle everything at one time. Pace yourself! You can begin the process by making a list of specific projects (or areas) that you would like to do, and then prioritize them. I recommend that you designate a few minutes per day and start with smaller tasks that will not require a lot of time initially. Once completed, check it off the list and move to the next one. If you are not into making lists or you can’t find the other five lists you started, not to worry, just getting started with handling something will be helpful. That sense of accomplishment that comes from “finishing” even a small task is often the spark that can ignite a determination to move on to bigger things! 

During quarantine, many of us are spending more time in the kitchen than ever before. Here’s a good place to start with a goal to de-clutter. Begin with the drawers by removing everything in each drawer and then discard any items that are not being used. As a reminder, don’t overwhelm yourself by starting with all the drawers. Which one is most essential to your new-found cooking habit? Start here and when the spark hits, add another and another until you can move through the kitchen with the ease of a master chef. When in doubt about what to discard, designate a “catch-all” drawer and store the “questionable” item(s) in it. To ensure that the catch-all drawer doesn’t become the start of another kitchen project, periodically check it and toss anything that you can’t think of a valid reason for keeping.

​Let me share a personal task that resulted in a major “de-cluttering” project for me. I was looking for a photograph of my deceased mother that had crossed my mind, but I hadn’t seen in quite a while. As you can imagine, a lot of pictures have accumulated over the years and I had numerous photo albums and loose photos scattered throughout the house. I remembered having the photo in an envelope with a few others that I had shown to a friend awhile back. I knew that I was still employed the last time I saw the envelope and I have been retired since December 2017.

​​Once I started looking for it, the desire to find the picture was so intense that I ended up going through every area in the house where I thought the envelope could be; including drawers, cabinets, even handbags stored in the closet. Of course, I started in the obvious places – photo albums and decorative boxes that only contain photos. 

At this point in the search, a motto developed from my days as an executive assistant kicked in. The motto is, when working through items on your desk, avoid touching an item more than once when possible; in other words, do something with it when you first touch it and not have to come back. Following that principle resulted in my sorting all the photos that had accumulated in the decorative boxes. Making a determination to do something with each picture meant that I had to examine the picture, consider the history behind it, and then decide how to keep it so that it could be a blessing to those who would see them after me. As I stuck with my motto, I was blessed to see so many cherished pictures that brought back such fond memories. The pictures also reminded me of how blessed I am to have had wonderful privileges and opportunities as a woman, wife, mother, grandmother, auntie, and friend.  

I did not find the picture that I was looking for while organizing and decluttering my decorative boxes. Several days passed and I accepted the fact that perhaps I had tossed the envelope by mistake and the photo would not be found. But I just couldn’t imagine having done that because the picture was a treasured one. As I customarily do, I prayed and asked the Lord to please tell me where the envelope could be and then I let it be. Well, about three days later I was doing the floor exercises in my bedroom and the idea struck me that I had not looked in a cabinet in my bedroom. At first, I brushed aside the thought because I am familiar with the items in that cabinet and couldn’t imagine the envelope being in there. But the thought would not go away so I obeyed.
 
One of the items in the cabinet is a folder that I always carried while working that contains work-related phone numbers; among other papers/documents that I would stick in the folder from time to time while employed. I did a cursory glance of the contents but still didn’t see a white envelope. I did, however, see a larger manilla envelope that obviously contained several smaller items. And of course, the white envelope with the picture I was looking for was in it. I was elated to find the picture and take another quick walk down memory lane.  The story behind the picture is a priceless part of my journey as a woman. Although the journey has included some rough spots and uncertain times, the picture served to remind me once again of God’s faithfulness.
 
I hope this encourages you to take on some simple yet meaningful projects during this extra time spent at home. Not only will the projects result in being better organized, they can also give you precious moments of remembering and reflecting on how good God has been to you and your family. I also hope that sharing my personal experience will remind you to never doubt your instincts (especially when you have asked the Lord to help you); to always follow through, never give up, and enjoy the journey.