Easter Clear-Out

Easter Day was quieter than normal for us this year. Having only arrived back home the evening before, everyone was suffering a bit from the post-holiday blues, our son was out all day at a friend’s birthday celebration, and both sets of grandparents had seen us for Easter visits only a week or so before. With our eldest daughter setting off the next morning for a week of volunteering with the ‘under-fives’ at a Christian holiday event, we weren’t planning on venturing too far either!

The church service in the morning was wonderful. The worship, which can at times seem rather tired, was uplifting and joyful and it was lovely to see the church full- not just with seasonal visitors but with our whole congregation, all gathered together at one service, which these days is unfortunately all too rare. With a body refreshed by the sea air, and a soul refreshed by the lovely Easter Day service, I at last felt properly well and able to tackle whatever life has in store for us next- having finally managed to shake off the illness that had plagued us all since the beginning of the year.

The second week of the holidays went by far too fast as well- I always enjoy having all my family around me, and it’s nice to have a break from the constant ‘clock watching’ that dictates term time weekdays. The weather had finally decided to have a go at doing spring properly, and we had clear blue skies and warm sunshine nearly every day- for the first time in many months! It certainly made catching up with all the holiday washing a bit easier as it was drying quickly outside, and as the children were able to spend long hours out in the garden, they were less inclined towards missing their elder sister and the previous week’s holiday!

Although I didn’t manage to get back to my sewing during that week, I did manage to have a good clear out and declutter of the things I’d already managed to sort through from our many boxes of old possessions. Some unwanted things had turned up that had been well hidden away and protected from the house, and which had been originally destined for selling on eBay. It was nice to find the chance at last to get them listed on there- they may not actually take a lot of time to describe, photograph and put onto the site’s templates, but in my normal day to day life I’m always aware of how quickly time seems to go. Every day seems to be a race between me with all my tasks, and the clock- which always wins!

It’s a well-documented fact that having a good clear out is good for the soul- ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ and all that, and I was finding that with each item I was able to list and potentially get out of the house, and out of our way, I was feeling more and more satisfied. As the bids started to come in I was feeling more encouraged, and I was only sorry that my ‘free’ week was coming to an end as I was ready to move on to the next load of unsorted boxes- in the hope of finding more things to either throw away, give away or sell.

I know that within the boxes there is also going to be a lot of heartache, as sorting through them all has shown already- possessions that would have normally been kept for sentimentality, or the children’s toys that are beyond keeping. But having got Christmas, and then all the winter illnesses out of the way at last, and having been rejuvenated by my holiday by the sea, I’m now just looking forward to any free time over the next few weekends so I can start to move further forward with the sorting, and finally move away from the past holding us back.