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Spring Cleaning When I was about ten years old, we lived with my grandparents on their Illinois farm. Grandma had some very definite ideas about the distinct roles of the sexes, a fact I found most disturbing. She thought I should be inside learning to embroidery, bake pies and keep a clean house, while my favorite places were the barn or out in the open fields or under a tractor seeing what made it tick. One day in the middle of March, Grandma announced it was time to begin Spring Cleaning, and away she went like a whirlwind through every closet, cupboard, nook and cranny, dragging me along with her! Not only did we empty a cupboard and wash all its contents (even though many dishes had been washed the day before), she relined each shelf and repainted each cabinet inside and out! I was aghast! So much was happening outside and I was missing it all, trapped in the house with a whirling dervish of a woman. She was in her glory, singing and smiling as we were working ourselves to an early grave. The cabinets looked so clean and bright, she decided the walls and ceiling needed redone, never mind that we had thoroughly scrubbed both only the day before... but within three days we had them repainted and new wallpaper hung. I was secretly proud of the transformation but continued to loudly lament my imprisonment. Two weeks later, the entire house was agleam, fresh paint and wallpaper in every room, even the closets, every thing in the house had been sorted and was in its proper place and a huge box of unneeded items awaited a trip to the Salvation Army. I finally had to admit my pride and let her know how much I had learned. Although firm in her resolve, Grandma took time as we worked to talk with me about the Spring Cleanings we need to do in our lives. She told me that as we live in a house, it gets dirty, dingy and stale; it needs renewal, and that as the world touches our lives, we begin to suffer the same fate so need to let Jesus clean that muck and junk out of our lives on a regular basis. I remember that March with Grandma with a catch in my throat and a renewed resolve to follow her example. This humble piece is dedicated to my Grandma Iona Anderson, long since gone home to the Lord, but alive and well in my heart of hearts. Coke's the
Thing! Coca Cola is the thing
for you. Just when you thought you knew everything.... To
clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet
bowl. Let the "real thing" sit for one hour,
then flush clean.
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| Resources Author: Iona Hoeppner |
