Organisation

Or perhaps I should say - re-organisation.

This afternoon, I enlisted the family to help with some household organisation. We cleaned out the laundry - all the junk above came out of our laundry! Wow!

And see the finished laundry - lots of clear white space. Very nice.

I recently bought wire shelving units for use at my Kumon Education Centre ( work) and used one here in the laundry. Helps to keep things sorted and neat.

We also re-arranged bedrooms Again.

There is a lot of re-arranging going on in our house, as two older sons have moved to Sydney. Perhaps temporarily. We hope permanently.

An answer to prayer.

Nevertheless, adding adult sons back into the family mix calls for re-arrangement. Of physical places ( so Luke and Greg can have their own rooms - this is the two eldest sons).

And of mental and relational spaces - getting along together, giving each other room to move and breathe, to be different.

Letting go. Remembering that the way one parents and relates to an adult son is different to the way one relates to and parents a younger son.

Funnily enough. it is my dh who finds this the hardest. Maybe those male and female differences again ? Do fathers find it harder to parent less, to let go? Or am I just an unusual mother ~ letting go is not what I find hard.

What do I find hard?

Being the mediator between these relationships, helping both parent and son to see each other's point of view. ( Those males!). Can be wearying.

But worthwhile.

Like all aspects of family life.

Re-organisation of space, I find, ends up helping with re-establishing and re-orienting relationships.

I am pondering on these thoughts and words, on our family life and on my role as a parent.

Some of us went to a Latin Mass this morning, and the Gospel reading was Luke 2: 15-20. Fr. mentioned this line ~ But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.

I got to thinking - How often do we mothers ponder things, ponder about family life, keep these thoughts close to our heart?

I'll keep up my pondering, my re-organising, my re-arranging, my praying.

I need it!