Pack Up Your Troubles

"In an old Kit bag and smile, smile smile." From a WWI marching song, used in many instances, or so says Wikipedia.

This morning I was "singing" it as I thought about our basement..except I was singing "Pack up your troubles in a great big box.."

You see, our basement is full of boxes, some half-empty, some overflowing, some falling apart and All. Over. the. Basement.

It's ugly down there folks. And we've only live here since August 2008! We sort of unpacked as we went and the kids *ahem* helped. Whenever they decided a toy was missing they started opening boxes.

But there are boxes down there that just plain need to go. There are troubles and unhappy memories and unrealized goals packed up in those boxes and I do believe they're getting in the way of progress.

They're also getting in the way of the train table to built as one of *N*'s Christmas gifts.

But really, they're getting in the way of moving forward. I would go down there and clean it out. When we lived in OH I would go downstairs a couple times a year and whip things into shape, tossing and stacking and putting things in order.

This time there are heavy things I cannot move blocking in the messes and boxes. I just don't have the physical strength to move them. I have commented, suggested and yes, I have nagged at the Husband to address this issue. He goes down, sorts, and throws away a bag of trash and I cannot see a difference.

Maybe he can. I cannot. And to be honest, I cannot get to the things I am trying to get to. Things like bins of children's clothes and my books. I can see the bins, but I have no place to stack them so I can get to the ones on the bottom.

It occurred to me this morning that these big boxes and stacks are a symbol of other things going on. The stuff is a problem, but there is some emotional baggage packed up in those great big boxes. If it's packed away, we can smile for a while but we still have to deal with it, don't we?

Do you have some stuff weighing you down. Is it anchoring you to the past and keeping you from moving forward?

Lord, I pray that each of us can lean on you for strength as we break old habits and toss off the burdens of the heavy baggage we carry. We can give it all to you Lord and stand up tall in Your mercy and grace.

May this new year before us be one of renewal and growth, of tossing away our boxes of troubles and finding some new goals in the cleared spaces.

-Peace