Whimsical Wednesdays

I go through a lot of white clothes (probably two kids’ worth), because I make messes and clean up messes. One day as I was putting a load of whites in the washer, I was haunted when I opened my laundry detergent cabinet. Chaos. Remnants of spilled detergent. Light bulbs mixed in with dryer sheets and a hammer. We all have them. Those darn little cabinet elves who make messes of the cabinets when we're not looking.

So, I made a decision. Today I'd at least clean the remnants of the soap up. (That's a strange thought. . . cleaning soap up.) Well, I did that. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I begin something, I can't quit.

So I took everything out of the cabinet. I got a wash cloth and a bucket of water in hand, stood on my kitchen chair and went over every nook and cranny of this cabinet. If my grandma was reading this, she'd be beaming with pride. Yes, grandma, you taught us well.

Of course, though, in true 'Kelly Style', I think about the 'deeper' meaning of this all. It is a "blessed curse", as a friend of mine so perfectly described it.

You see, most people, at first glance, don’t know that I can wash and fold my laundry, organize a cleaning cabinet, or stand on a chair in order to reach the back of that cabinet.  I have cerebral palsy (CP). CP can take on many different forms. For some, having CP means walking with a limp while every other body function remains virtually unaffected. For others, having CP means a life in a wheelchair, needing help with all the tasks of daily living. Cognitively, CP can affect people in many different ways as well. One person might have no cognitive impairments while another person might have multiple cognitive impairments.

I’m thankful to the Lord that He has given me a sharp mind that has gotten me through four years of college and has allowed me to work as a newspaper reporter. However, due to some variables, I am presently unemployed.

Physically speaking, one could say that I fall in the middle of the ‘CP spectrum’. I function largely independently. My fine motor skills, however, are not so fine. Therefore, standing on a chair and organizing a cabinet are teetering on the edge of unsafe, but I’ve always been one to push limits. 

As I bring order to the chaos, I'm thinking, "Ok God, I'm standing on a chair, cleaning. Later, I'm going to mop my floor. Thank you for giving me the ability to do stuff like this. But, really, can you show me that you have more 'stuff' for me to do...eventually? I'll thank you for that, too."