{Ode to the Shoe}

I live in flip-flops.

Summer.  Fall.  Winter.  Spring.

There is always an extra pair in my car, several pairs in my closet, by the back door, or stashed in my gym bag.   I must have a pair accessible at all times.

Some are average pairs, but then there are others that are favorite pairs. 

Like these:

They traveled with me on many adventures, through years of wanderings. 

Both single, and married. 

They traveled on my honeymoon and explored northern Michigan.

They flew across the ocean to Hawaii where they whale-watched, and walked the monuments at Pearl Harbor. 

They walked the beaches of Lake Michigan, and streets of Chicago, Illinois.

They rummaged garage sales in local neighborhoods, and grocery shopped hundreds of times.

But they have finally wore out.  Done.  Kaput. 

They have walked their last and were replaced this week. 

Replaced by a snazzy pair of cushioned-sole Nike sandals. 

 I have high hopes, but I doubt they’ll be as good as my $7 pair of rubber Walmart flip-flops. 

Do you have a favorite pair of footwear that gets you everywhere?

{Timeless}

I slid into a pew at church, next to the old man in the polyester suit.  He smiled welcomingly at me, and smelled of peppermints as he greeted me hello.  His aging wife sat on his other side, balancing heavily on her cane for support.  

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The music started, contemporary as always, although louder than usual.  The gentleman next to me tried his best to keep up with the songs, and honestly seemed to do a better job than I did.   I found my mind wandering a bit, wondering about this couple next to me.  They seemed familiar with the church, although I hadn’t seen them before.  It is a large place, but there are few older couples there so I thought I would have noticed.  It was a pleasant sight just the same.  

They sat at rapt attention during the whole message.  Then the prayer, and onto the closing song.  Usually it is another chorus, or a repeat of one we have sung earlier.  Today it was a hymn, written in 1872, and just as poignant as ever.  

And the man in the polyester suit?  

The voice I heard next to me came as a surprise.  This tune might have been a bit faster than when he had first learned it years ago, perhaps as a young boy, but the lyrics were just as timeless.  As I heard his voice, I imagined him in a plaid vest and alongside a Barber Shop Quartet.  His pitch was dead-on, and his vibrato was lovely.   He sang, and slowly swayed, his voice reaching above the sounds of the keyboard, violin, and guitar.   I had to wonder if this song had seen him through many trials in his long life, yet in that moment I was glad to just sit back and listen.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; 

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

It was as if that song was played just for him that morning.   

Or maybe it was for both of us.

But whoever it was for….it was timeless.

Linking up with:

{Organized.....Or Not}

I want to be more organized yet I get frustrated & overwhelmed when I dwell on my disorganization for too long.  I know that if the clutter around me disappears so will some of the clutter in my head, but unfortunately it just doesn’t seem to be that easy.

We have probably all heard the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place!”   Well, that’s great in theory… but what if you don’t have the “place for everything” to start with?  (Yes, I hear all you super organized woman out there chanting “Purge, purge, purge!”)  

I feel like when I get that burst of energy and ambition to start organizing, it usually ends up meaning the mess was simply shuffled to a different area of the house.  Don’t get me wrong, I do purge quite a bit – there are always substantial trash & Goodwill piles, but it never seems like enough.  

Maybe I’m simply lacking some serious organizational-knowhow.  

Take decorative baskets for example.  Keep, or toss?   I was going to get rid of them, but there have been several times over the past couple years that I have gone to my stash to claim one and have been so glad they’re there.  So I keep them…and use them.  But where in the world should I store them?  

My solution has been a large Rubbermaid tub and it is getting tossed into the basement.  

We ripped our CD collection into iTunes but now where do we put all the CD’s?  Keep, sell?  Oh I know, how about stacking them in a Rubbermaid tub and putting them in the basement!  

I scour Pinterest and blogs for ideas on practical organizing (“practical”, meaning for REAL people, who actually LIVE in their house), and I usually come away uninspired.  There are times when I literally feel like I could spend a few days on each room of the house before it was cleaned/purged/organized to perfection….but who has that kind of time?  Not me. 

 One step at a time, I know…but where do I begin?

Anybody have secrets to share? 
What’s the first thing to do when you tackle full-on room organization?