Dear FlyLady,
I have been flying for a few years now and wouldn't take anything for the skills I have learned, although can't say as I have perfected any of them. I am writing about something that may seem a bit gruesome, but I believe needs to be discussed.
All the time we hear people say something to the effect that folks should "have your affairs in order", which usually means in a financial way. The question I have for folks is this: "If you suddenly died today, either by accident, or by other means, such as a heart attack"and someone else had to come in and clean your house, what would they find? Please be kind to those who come after you. This is an encouragement to me to not let things get "out of hand".
Get rid of the clutter, the mold, and the body dirt, wherever and whenever possible! If you think it's no fun cleaning your own, just think of having to clean someone else's. I guess you can tell, I am speaking from recent experience!
Flying in Kentucky
FlyLady here: Death is part of living. It is never easy to clear out a loved ones belongings. Please be kind to yourself. You will know when it is time.
Dear Friends,
Here is a testimonial which touched my heart. We have received hundreds of thousands of testimonial over the last years. Each one is special in its own way. This one had me in purple puddles for weeks in November 2009. Here it is, I have included an essay I wrote after I combed our archives for any correspondence from Christine's mother.
You may need a hanky before you get through reading this. I emailed this one yesterday.
I love you all; please keep sending your testimonials. They are the fuel that keeps me going!
FlyLady
Hi everyone! My name is Christine and I'm officially, as of five minutes ago, a FLYbaby! haha!
My mom, Denyse, was a die-hard FLYbaby. Stickers all over little places in the house, the calendar, her rubba scrubba, even the songs playing throughout the house while she cleaned!
Unfortunately, my momma passed away from cancer about a month and a half ago, and I've had to take over that role for all four of my siblings and my dad, and to say the least it has been stressful!
Thankfully I knew everything my mom taught me about FLYing, it wasn't much but the 15-minute rule helped me a ton and learning to keep a journal of all the things I needed to get done was a life saver.
The biggest reason I wanted to hop on and say thank you however, is this:
I'm a 16 year old, senior in high school, captain of the varsity cheer squad, and an Inner Club Counsel member so having to take over the holiday season for my family is very intimidating. However finding the old emails my mom printed out and saved with decorations, or recipes, or where ever else she hid them has saved me so much!
Halloween was so great! I was able to clean the whole house, cook dinner, and decorate on time! It was the most fulfilling feeling to be able to accomplish even half of what my mommy used to but it would've been ten times worse without the FLYLadies help!
So thank you thank you thank you a million times over! I have already read all the emails from last year about thanksgiving planning and I hope to get some more this year since I just signed up for emails! How exciting!
My mom was so much happier after finding the FLYLady, all the support, and the helpful hints. My family and myself are so thankful for the FlyLady and how much stress she was able to take off my mom through her battle with cancer. I
In fact! My mom was such a dedicated FLYbaby, the FlyLady is etched into her stone! Thank you all for being so helpful to my mother and me! We will never forget and I will make sure to pass it on to my daughter one day too!
Love ya all already!
The Babiest Fly of All!
Chrissie!
FlyLady here: I can barely talk much less write. All I can say is! I am so proud of Denyse for setting such a wonderful example for her children! Chrissie, sweetie you are still one of the children, please take time to be a kid and enjoy your senior year!
Touching Others with Your Life
Dear Friends,
You never know how your life can touch the lives of others. When I got organized in 1999 it was because I didn't want my fellow Transylvania County Commissioners to find out my dirty little secret that I could not keep house. This all started because I didn't want anyone to know that I was a messy person.
Fear is a funny thing! It can empower or it can paralyze. We have all heard about the mother who can pick up a car when her child's life is endangered. Most of us know that "deer in the headlights" feeling of being overwhelmed and not having a clue what to do first!
I was tired of feeling defeated before I ever got stared! That's when I made my last two New Year's Resolutions. One was to keep my kitchen sink clean and shiny and the other one was to be nice to me! I made these two simple resolutions because every year I always broke the one big one; to "Get Organized"! 1999 was the year I figured it out for myself! It was also the year that I started helping others.
One person asked for my help and I set up an email group to stay in touch with her. I never dreamed that so much more would happen. A few weeks ago I received a testimonial from a sixteen year old senior in high school named Chrissie. She had posted her message on our FlyLady forum and one of our members made sure that I saw it.
Chrissie's mother had died two months earlier. This precious mother was in the prime of her life when she had to leave her five children. Chrissie was the oldest girl and determined to help her father with her younger siblings. Her testimonial was about how she was using her mother's FlyLady Control Journal and how it had helped her with the Halloween preparations. She was looking forward to planning her first Thanksgiving meal for the whole family and Christmas.
Let me tell you her testimonial has had us all in tears for a couple of weeks now. I did a little searching in my computer to find out if I had ever gotten an email from Chrissie's Mom. I did not find one from her mom but one from Chrissie's Grandmother.
This message was from two and a half years earlier. She had asked if I would mention her daughter in a speech I was giving. Her daughter was undergoing chemotherapy and was not up to attending the event. I had not seen it then but that did not stop me from making a speech that was just for her. I like to call those moments God Breezes!
That morning we had a Memorial Breakfast in honor of all the mothers who had died the previous year. This set the tone for my talk. I never know what I am going to talk about until I get up to speak. My speech was about leaving a legacy for your family, setting the example and getting your home in order to make the most of your life! Chrissie's mom was not able to join us that day but six months later she downloaded that speech from our website. This speech was just for her.
We had recorded my talk and it was the first time we ever offered it as a download. My sister had not wanted me to put that sad speech on our website. She said that I had cried a lot and that it was melancholy. I told her that I had never given a speech quite like that and there had to be a reason for it. It had to go up! Now we know the reason!
FLYing had prepared Chrissie's Mom to leave her children with a legacy of peace and joy. She was determined to get her home in order. They have great memories of a mom who loved like there was no tomorrow. You never know whose life you will touch but rest assured, people are watching and you can make a difference. I am humbled by Chrissie's testimonial and the picture of her mother's headstone with the FlyLady logo above these words; SHE TOUCHED EVERYONE WITH HER SPECIAL LOVE AND KINDNESS.
I am thankful that I had eliminated my clutter so I could follow the God Breezes as they came my way.
Do you have your sails up?
FlyLady
