A band of angels...

     For the past two days, my sister Karen, has come over to help me with my housekeeping projects. Sorting. Purging. Donating. Organizing. Cleaning.
     Karen is my hero.
     If you saw Funny Guy Friday last week, you know that I was in the middle of a total laundry re-do. Now, I am almost finished. Only the clothes that the kids actually wear are in their rooms. The laundry has been done. Even the socks have been paired, and the lonely ones are history. The books have been thinned out. Eight bags of trash have been discarded. And my refrigerator-freezer is old-food-free and sparkling.
     Without Karen... except for some help from Noah, my most willing and frequent helper... and Gracie, my most capable helper... and the occasional distribute-the-laundry help from Matthew... it was pretty much four against one around here. We had sort of developed a "drop and go" routine, so often there was stuff everywhere.
     But Karen is a force to be reckoned with.
     She sees the big picture, and takes on every task with determination. She barrels right through each project. And she doesn't allow me to zig-zag.
     Oh, she is good.
     And yesterday... Bonus... She brought her nine-year-old daughter Elaine to help. Elaine helped Gracie clean and organize her room. And she never complained.
     Like mother, like daughter.
     I told my kids that the next time I ask them to straighten up, if they dare to say, "But I didn't mess it up!" I will remind them of Elaine helping solely because there was a job that needed to be done.
     Thank you Karen and Elaine. When I needed an angel, you were there. My own little kiddies stepped up as well and did what needed to be done... as well as Karen's two little sons, who played happily and quietly while we worked away. Angels all.
     Oh, and just a thank you to the perpetual angel that is my mother-in-law. She dropped by in the midst of this Karen-clean-fest, and as usual, bellied up to the sink with her usual cheerfulness to do some dishes. Laundry is her normal task, but it was done!

     Update... 10:30 pm Friday night... Karen came back again today... much to my surprise and relief. I really needed her. She just left after helping me for about twelve hours. I told her to go home to her hubby. He's a blessed man to have her for his wife. I'm blessed more... I've known her longer.
     Fourteen bags of trash, and twelve bags/boxes of giveaways and I'm still not done. Stay tuned.