LADY CATHERINE

Many years ago, whilst on a work/church camp I received a 'word', as we called it, that "good things will come, you can do many things, but first you need to clean up your house".

Given that this was a Christian Camp I assumed it meant my 'Spiritual House' and happily pursued this 'spiritual clean-up' as I perceived it at the time.

Some years later, I recalled this 'word' and it dawned on me, I was way to eager to believe my first interpretation.  You see, I am really not very good at house work. Eventually, I began to accept that I, like many others, didn't realise that sometimes things are spoken into our lives as a much simpler instruction than we would like to believe.

We often look for the higher road, the bigger and better options, the more glamorous picture. Like when people believe they have a 'past life', they're always a Queen or Great Leader of some kind, no one every seems to remember being a chamber maid.

If you believe in receiving a 'word' as I did then, and in fact, still do, (call it a 'light bulb moment' or a line from a book or movie that really hits home, it can come through many different sources) maybe the real meaning is much simpler, more mundane, than we expect, or hope for. And yet, no less important.

Go home, clean up your house, keep your house clean and good things will come.....  Whooaa, settle down there Roy, you are not going to be a Princess, or a Priestess, or win the lotto after you clean up, the 'good thing to come' might just be that you have a cleaner house and a happier family and more time to do the things you like to do and feel more inclined to do them because ....... you have a cleaner, organised home environment.  Instead of swanning around and looking for opportunities to throw myself on God's mercy and ask Him to 'clean up' my spiritual house, pick up a broom! ( and yes, I meant that two ways ).

So here I am, many years later, still battling the same affliction - "Houseworkitis".  I don't like it, I don't want to do it, I just want to sew, take pretty pictures and play with dogs.  Guess what.  No Can Do !

The irony is, I do not thrive in a messy environment, I get cross and lethargic.  I DO love it when things are organised and in their right place, that's when I feel most creative. I just wish to high heaven that someone else would do it. I am quite convinced that I belong at Downton Abby, Lady Catherine, (nice ring, don't you think?) and through some space/time continuum interruption I have been misplaced and my lady's maid, Alice, is patiently waiting there for me.

But alas, there is only me, Sadie, and as I begin my Winter clean out and room re-organisation, I am reminded of that dear lady's word, Clean Up Your House and good things will come and THEN you can do many things.