February: There Is Only Love

I am glad I set out from the beginning to approach this particular year of the Happiness Project not as a set of resolutions with a firm time line but as a way to make my good life even better. The contract on our house that popped up right after the year began threw everything in my life into a tailspin, but I tell you this: if you want to get a good look at the sum total of your life, move.

While I couldn’t possibly attack all the clutter, I did get rid of lots of “stuff.” In fact, my mantra became the line I read on Pinterest late one night (or early one morning): You are not a store. You don’t need to keep things just in case you might need them some day. If I’d had more lead time, I could have approach my own personal clutter more deliberately, but by the time the movers arrived and started throwing everything into boxes, I knew I had lost the skirmish, if not the war. Lots of decluttering will have to happen as I unpack.

Now that February begins to focus on love, though, I have a strong testimony. The very process of moving is tough on a family, but it also confirms enduring love. My grown children have all played a part–sometimes under duress–in helping to get their remaining detritus out of the house. My daughter and her family are putting us up (or putting up with us) until our house closes (in ten days). Spending all day with them–with our grandchildren–confirms our reason for moving here to be closer.

I’ve also had reaffirmed the strength of the friendships we are leaving behind. The goodbyes were spoken through lumps in our throats–or left unspoken.  Already, we have friends making “reservations” in our guest room for March. I’ve been overwhelmed by phone calls, emails, Facebook comments from my North Carolina friends, as well as welcomes from those we are moving nearer.

When I packed my car with all those things I needed before the moving van returns with all our boxes, I made sure to include my Valentine plates, recipes, and craft materials. What fun to get to make Valentine candies, cookies, and cards with Avery, Stuart, and Griffin.  This month will certainly invite a closer look at love.