Ah, yes; that time of the week most people dread – laundry day.

There are some who find it much easier to tackle laundry in little bits, say a load a day, whilst there are others who find it much more agreeable to let it all pile up, wear those loose sweatpants and that faded hoodie, and attack the mountain in one fell swoop. Depending on the day, or week, I vacillate between both groups.

The following system works well for me, even though it involves sorting which, I hear, is the bane of most people who wash clothes (I mean, apart from actually putting said clothes away…):

Cold Cycle

-Delicates (dry clean only, hang dry, lay flat to dry, unmentionables)

-Jeans

-Other (bottoms, dresses, tops)

Hot Cycle

-Cleaning and dusting rags

-Kitchen (aprons, potholders, towels)

-Other (bathroom towels, blankets, sheets, socks, underwear)

Below are a few things I’ve begun to do in order to have less wear on clothes:

-Turn things inside out.

-Wash all things on the Gentle Cycle.

-Wash everything you think might run often enough so the excess dye comes out before you wash it with a lighter fabric. This may also involve washing it by hand just to make sure there’s no more excess (although mistakes have still been known to happen – I’m just saying…).

A couple of other quick tidbits:

-If you have someone in your family who has sensitive skin or a sensitive nose, use unscented detergent in the washer.

-In the dryer use unscented dryer sheets or just use dryer balls. (I have found that dryer balls do not always get rid of static electricity, especially in the winter.)

So go forth! Tackle those small piles of clothes! Climb that inevitable mountain of laundry!

But first, tea?

I do not have what some might refer to as a ‘green thumb.’

My one foray into keeping an Aloe vera plant alive resulted in said succulent having a rather shortened life span. Despite this small setback (which lasted about five years), I decided to bring home a new succulent and try again.

The new cute little plant looks like something out of a fantasy or science fiction novel, which, of course, is the main reason I decided it had to come home with me. (Also, it looked lonely, the only one of its kind, amongst the other succulents.)

Ever so satisfyingly, it’s called a Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ and happens to be named after the character Gollum from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Out of all the succulents I could have chosen, this book lover just happened to pick a plant named after a literary character.

Here’s hoping my little ‘Gollum’ succulent will prove as resilient as the original Gollum….

I recently completed a study on Leah and Rachel from the book of Genesis over the way comparison shaped their lives. The study sounded interesting, but I didn’t think I’d really get anything out of it, mainly because I didn’t think I really struggled with comparison. Isn’t comparison part of life? I thought. Of course I do the occasional comparing, but that doesn’t shape my decisions, my days, or my relationships.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Week after week as I did this study, I kept noticing how often I compare myself to others and in what ways: looks, home, family, work, volunteering. Day after day I started noticing how comparison rears its ugly head in my life. Night after night the thoughts of inadequacy cross my mind.

Do you know what else the Lord revealed to my spirit? This comparison I used to think I didn’t really struggle with has planted a seed of jealousy whose roots have embedded deeply within my soul and formed into the ugly tree of bitterness. Oh, how I wish I could just put a stop to comparing myself with others right now! How nice it would be to cast out that jealous seed and cut down that bitter tree!

Yet God, in His infinite, marvelous wisdom and love, has also revealed to me a verse to help combat this comparison cycle. Romans 12:15 says that we are to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” When I compare myself with others this command is nigh impossible, for jealousy and bitterness immediately attack and whisper into my soul. Yet, when I ask my Father for help and pray His words back to Him, that tree, that cycle, starts to die.

I am a new creation in Christ, so I no longer have to be defined by jealousy and bitterness – comparison does not have to rule my life. As the Lord says through the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.’

I had two epiphanies this week – my likes and dislikes are okay and I don’t have to complete everything.

I used to believe I had to finish everything I started: podcasts, books, a sewing project, a story. This was especially true when I was listening to or reading something someone had recommended.

Just because someone suggests a podcast to me, doesn’t mean I have to continue listening to it if I’m not really enjoying it.

Just because I may have told myself I would read a certain book or book series, doesn’t mean I have to, especially if I don’t think the writing is particularly engaging.

Just because I begin a sewing project, doesn’t mean I have to continue it (or complete it within a specific time frame).

Just because I want to write a story about a certain topic or with certain characters, if the story simply isn’t working, well, it’s really okay to scrap it.

Now, sometimes I trudge through something because it’s important to someone or to myself. I can shove aside my own desires or annoyances in order to deepen relationships or develop discipline. Yet, how wonderfully freeing to know that other times I can simply say, ‘I’d rather not….’

A new year has begun, and with it dawns hope – hope of better circumstances, better attitudes, better relationships.

During this time, some people make a resolution, something they want to do better in the coming year. Others prayerfully pick a word around which to center their decisions. Still others choose a Bible verse, training themselves to focus upon Scripture. Lists of books we want to read in the coming year; long agendas of tasks we want to accomplish; ten-year plans, five-year plans, one-year plans, six-month plans – all of these we make with hopeful expectation that we will be able to make the necessary changes, that ours is the will which spurs on reform.

The book of Proverbs gives us many reminders about who is ultimately in control, who we can ultimately rely upon. I’ve made resolutions, picked words, chosen Bible verses, and fashioned expectant lists. Yet, I’ve found that the more I focus on me, on what I want done, what I want to change, the less my focus is on the Lord.

Will I continue this year to go through the motions of preparing for a hopeful new year? Of course! However, I must also understand that, although I have made plans, although I have made lists, it is essential to remain open to what God wants to show me, teach me, have me do. He has seen fit to allow another year to happen – how can I honour Him in it?

It is difficult to get into the habit of daily reading and meditating upon Scripture.

The excuses I used for years against the diurnal reading of Scripture were, ‘It’s too overwhelming; I don’t know where to start’ and ‘It’s boring. I’ve heard the stories so many times’. I’ve also used, ‘I don’t have time today’ and ‘I’m too tired/overwhelmed/stressed’ and ‘What’s the point? I won’t be able to understand it anyway.’

When I look back at these excuses, the only thought that crosses my mind is, ‘Oh, how much better I would know Him if I hadn’t been so stubborn!’ I don’t recall what was so important that I could not be bothered to open the Bible. I don’t remember what I was so stressed over that I didn’t care to meditate on God’s Word. What I do remember is how little I knew about God and His character.

When I chose to immerse myself in and inundate my life with Scripture I found that those excuses were just that – excuses. When I began to see each book as a way to better grasp the character and personality of God, the Bible no longer remained overwhelming; the Book is about Him. After I came to this realization, it is now no longer boring, for I must discover how He worked in the stories. I have begun to savour and covet the time I spend with Jesus as I seek out who He is in the Letter He wrote.

Of course there are days when I am tired or do not want to read. Of course there are days when I don’t understand fully what the Scripture says. But, oh! – when I do make the commitment to read God’s Word, the long-term benefits far outweigh the momentary struggles.

I grew up knowing that poetry is a beautiful thing, but to me it was also somewhat mystical. I think I had such a difficult time with poetry when I was younger because I did not realize that poetry compels the reader to read it aloud. The fluidity of the words and pictures, the lines of beauty beg to be spoken, if not memorized.

The following are some of my favourite poems:

“Annabel Lee”, by Edgar Allen Poe – Short and tragic, this poem tells of a love so deep the narrator believes angels killed his love because of it.

“The Highwayman”, by Alfred Noyes – This haunting poem, famously put to music by Loreena McKennitt, tells the sad tale of an innkeeper’s daughter and her lover, a highwayman wanted by King George’s men.

“Jabberwocky”, by Lewis Carroll – This poem is marvelously short with made-up words that scream of Wonderland. (In fact, this poem is found in the second Alice book, Through the Looking Glass.)

“Lady Clare”, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – This poem is mostly a conversation between Lady Clare and her nurse, who reveals a long-kept secret, the day before Lady Clare’s wedding.

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, by Robert Browning – A well-known tale, this whimsical poem warns of the importance of keeping promises.