Coffee With Maddie




I enjoy rearranging things in my life. I’m not sure at what point I decide it’s time to start the process, but once I decide, things start changing. The changes usually begin in my home and then blossom from there. It’s like I get a “bee in my bonnet” and decide it’s time to do some deep cleaning. This week I started in my family room. When I decide to do this, all the furniture gets moved out of the way, everything in sight gets vacuumed and then I rearrange the furniture to give the room a whole new look. It’s a lot of work, but when it’s done it’s very satisfying. It not only makes me feel good about myself and my home, but my kids are always pleasantly surprised which is fun to see too.

I was just sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee after finishing the family room when the phone rang. It was my husband and he was calling from the shoulder of a busy highway. He had car trouble. He was pretty sure the transmission had gone out and needed me to come and pick him up. When I got off the phone with him, my mind went into overdrive. I was trying to figure out how I would make it to the meeting I was supposed to be leaving for shortly and how I could rearrange my work schedule if my husband had to use my car the next day. I got back on the phone and made a couple of calls - one to the person leading the meeting I was going to be late for and one to my boss explaining that I might not be able to make it in until we got our car fixed. I love it when people are understanding. Being late for the meeting was not going to be a big deal and as far as my job goes, I’m convinced I have the best boss in the world. He told me “No problem. I’ll just take you off the schedule until you can come back. Just give me a call.” My time had just been rearranged for me (thanks to a broken down car). Thankfully is wasn’t the transmission. It was just a $95 tow, $95 worth of labor and a $4 part!

Since I had the next day off while the car was being repaired, I started rearranging two more rooms - the living room and the dining room. When I tackle these two rooms, the rearrangement usually throws the family for a loop! I actually switch the two rooms in the process - the living room goes into the dining room and the dining room in the living room. (Not exactly normal, but I love it!) It stays that way until I get tired of it and switch it back. Rearranging the tangible things in my life (like furniture) is a wonderful change for me.

But . . . during those two days when I was rearranging the furniture, I had a lot of time to think. I started thinking about other areas in my life that need some rearranging. I’ve been reading a great book called “The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?” by Rick Warren. The author definitely challenges me to rearrange some of my thinking and priorities. The book is trying to help me discover why I’m here and how to find my purpose in life. I’m only about a third of the way into the book and I can tell you this . . . it’s a much more difficult process than just pushing some furniture around. And I know something about myself - when I’m not changing (or at least moving forward), I’m not happy! This may sound very cliché, but life is a journey. I need to keep moving and rearranging all the time. It keeps my life full and interesting!

How about you? Is there any rearranging you can do this next week? [I’ll take full responsibility if you switch your dining room and living room.] And if not in your home, how about in your life? Rearranging is a good thing! There’s no better time than “now” to start.

Until next week . . . God bless you and yours! -Maddie

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Coffee With Maddie: Archive;
Blessings
Magazine Junkie!
Maddie Goes to College

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About the Author;
Maddie is a dear friend from the Midwest who will touch your heart with her gentle stories of home of family. You can just picture yourself at the kitchen table any early morning with Maddie, a fresh cup of coffee, maybe the smell of bacon in the air, and a log on the fire to take out the chill.

Talk to Maddie at ...
Maddie@boomerjournals.com