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“Nesting behavior” is often observed in pregnant women shortly before the birth of their baby.
They have an uncharacteristic energy surge and want to clean the house. It is as if some unseen force is prompting them to get ready for a change.
Interestingly, I have observed the same behavior in older people, including myself. Recently I have had the urge to clear the house of everything that no longer fits our current life style.
It is not that we have any specific plans for the future. It just feels like I want to make space for whatever God plans for us in that future. I am nesting.
It has been an emotional experience, as I have pondered what to keep and what to let go.
As I have cleaned out drawers and closets, I have encountered treasures that had been buried for years … memories of times gone by that will not come again.
The sadness comes in realizing that I cannot share many of those memories with those who helped me make them. They have already gone to Heaven.
So I pick up the mementos, hold them to my heart and let them become touch stones uniting my past and the present. In so doing, those I love seem very close.
In my clean up and out campaign, I have unearthed an odd variety of things. I can’t imagine why we saved some of them. Some things I can’t even identify.
Jay and I have guessing games of what they are. We ponder whether we should continue to hold on to them until we figure out why we held on to them in the first place!
In the past, we have had the experience of discarding something after twenty years of keeping it, only to desperately need it the next day.
Some things prompt heated arguments. My mantra is “if we have not used it recently, get rid of it.” Jay is the master of “save it in case we ever need it,” emphasizing that one time we needed something he retrieved from my discard pile.
Some things prompt my generous side. I realize I will never use them. But I think of someone who would and possibly be delighted to receive them. I realize God has gifted me with something I can joyfully give.
Some things mark the end of an era. Bags of eye glasses reflecting my long myopic journey. Dental floss and tooth paste I no longer need. Clothes that are not only no longer fashionable, but also no longer fit my “little old lady” body. The high heels can definitely go.
And then there are the tons of letters and other documents that reflect a lifetime of joys, sorrows, triumphs and challenges. All were once important to me, but most are not significant now.
I realize most might not have the same sentiment for anyone else. So the shredder is full. And one day, I will begin cleansing the computer files. I probably won’t need to save things like a letter to a vacuum cleaner company about a warranty issue thirty years ago.
It is interesting to reflect on one’s life journey. When we are younger, we are too busy living life to notice life. Sometimes we may even get the idea it is wrong to look back.
However, old age gives us time to see more of the whole journey and realize however mixed together, the life we were given has been precious and good.
God has been with us all the way with tender Love and Mercy. And He assures us He will continue to be with us whatever lies ahead.
For now, it is time to savor the memories, gently close out a few chapters and anticipate whatever God has next for us.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs forth!
Isaiah 43:19
