Making Space

Nine bags of baby boy clothes found a new home today.  A peculiar lump forms in my throat when I think of them piled up in a new house, keeping a new baby warm and comfortable.  But the boys that wore them here are babies no more; those newborn onesies might fit on their left feet.  It is time to make space...space in the storage unit, space in the closets, space in my heart.
There's something about clearing out clutter that lightens my spirit.  I'm know that sentiment isn't unique to me; I've read the articles that link a crowded closet to a thicker waistline and a troubled heart.  I also know that there's a time to save and a time to cherish the things we collect along the way.  Still, when you can't walk through the storage room, it is time to grab the machete and start cutting things down.
Last night, with all those baby clothes in bags, I rested well.  Today, when I cleared out a pantry shelf and a kitchen cabinet, I exhaled.  There is space where there was chaos.  There's even room for something new, for something we might actually need.  The things I no longer use have found a home where they will be used, and I am traveling a little bit lighter, open to new things.
I wonder if more than my house operates this way.  Over time, my life becomes crowded with commitments, obligations, and time wasters.  (Hi Facebook.  I love you anyway.)  I accumulate a schedule that smothers the peaceful moments right out of my life.  I want to do All The Things because All The Things are good...but they aren't all good for me.  Maybe the purge taking place in our storage room (read: scariest place on the planet) is symbolic of the purge taking place in my life.  What do I really need?  What really deserves the best part of my time and energy?  What served a significant purpose and now needs to be handed on to someone else?  How can I live lighter, so that I can sink into storytime with the boys without mentally organizing my to-do list?  So that I can rock the baby a little longer without checking my phone?  So that I have the energy to go for a jog, or kick up my heels and dance.  (Wait.  I can't dance.  I can let go of whatever I want and that is not going to change.)  If stuff sits piled up long enough, it begins to fall apart...or attract brown recluse spiders.  What is piling up in my life and poisoning me?
And you know, all that space I'm freeing up is space that God can fill with blessings.  My dear friend is preparing to adopt, and she and her husband cleared out a space that was once an office.  They made space for that baby, space for the blessing that God can give them.  I want to have space in my life.  I want to make wise choices, to decide carefully which responsibilities I take on, so that I have quiet moments to spend at His feet, choosing what is better.
I don't really know how this will look...I just know it is time to clear out some junk.