Finding some thankfulness in the middle of mess

Today’s coffee: Kenya

I’m tired. There is a mess at my house. I just want this to be over. I guess the fact that packing is horrible makes we want to be done and leave… I think I will need at least two months to recover from this one month.

So… four more days to pack up, then we move our stuff out, and clean the house. The end is in sight, but the next four days will be very full. I’m feeling rather numb.

I suppose the way to combat numbness (and crankiness) is thankfulness. As a spiritual exercise, I’m going to write some of the things I’ve been thankful for in the last week or so.

I’m thankful I’ve found a place to store the leftover canned goods—pickles, jams, and sauces made with vegetables from our garden. I thought we might just have to throw them out. This may seem like a small thing, but I dislike wasting food. Now to find homes for our houseplants and the herbs in our front yard…

I’m thankful for finished projects: matching bags for Shino and me made from leftover yukata fabric, a recording project, and 5 different photo books—that was a huge project which felt something like writing four years of prayer letters. To be fair, there’s actually a lot left to do on the recording project, but the recording and editing is finished. Probably. I still haven’t listened to the final versions…

I’m also thankful that the recording engineer, a friend of ours, lives (almost) in our neighborhood with his wife and adorable daughter. And we have so many other friends around us. But then again, this makes it hard to leave…

I’m thankful that we found a home for our car. It’s going to a good place, to support a ministry we’re excited about.

I’m thankful for all the sweets and snacks we’ve been “using up.” Chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, dried fruit, nuts… yes, we have been eating like kings. Using leftover azuki beans, old matcha powder, leftover stewed chestnuts and their syrup, I made cream anmitsu! Well, I had to buy some new ice cream to tie it all together…

I’m hopeful, too, thinking about the four days of holiday between a conference and flying back to Seattle. (We’re praying for good weather at Mt. Fuji!)

Yes. That worked. I feel a bit better.

As I mentioned, things are pretty crazy around our house at the moment. I will post if I feel like it/if I have time. Regular posts will probable resume sometime in August. Maybe. We’ll see.