I don't consider myself a prime candidate for "Hoarders" but perspective would have my family challenging my assessment. There was a time...
As a young wife and mother it seemed to me that I managed my duties as a "homemaker" sufficiently enough. But it was never long after making new acquaintances that they would soon hear my confession of my lack of skill in the homemaking department. Being honest up front assured that there were no false expectations on their part and no obligation on my part to appear to be what I knew I wasn't. The underlying message was, "If you come to our home and get invited in, don't say I didn't warn you!"
I've always held the strong belief that should an unexpected visitor appear on my doorstep, I would rather invite them in and risk some embarrassment than to be deemed discourteous. That wouldn't be a reflection of God's love which was of much more import than my false pride (Be aware that there may be angels at your door). So the early years were manageable, even with the cluttered spaces which were always a part of the landscape in our home.
But as anyone who has many years "in the business" knows, as the family grows so grows the stuff. How I wish I had taken to heart the wisdom of a young woman I met who shared a lesson she had learned from her mother: "A place for everything and everything in it's place." Little did I know that this little phrase would come back to haunt me years later as I would consider what I wish I had done as the keeper of our home.
