Cleanliness is...

Probably every native English speaker can complete the above phrase without even thinking about it. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." It's the kind of thing you hear grandmas say to their dirty grandkids in movies, something that we don't usually tend to take seriously, perhaps. But, I'm starting to believe in the philosophy.

It's hard to keep a clean and tidy house, especially caring for two young children who contribute heavily to the mess, and minimally to the cleaning up of that mess.

My home used to be spotless before I had kids! Really! Okay, maybe not exactly spotless...but it was pretty darn clean. Mostly because I would get restless, and so I would clean...or go shopping...or go for a walk...But the point is, I had plenty of time on my hands, and I typically put that time to good use.

But on to the point of this post. I have noticed quite a contrast in my overall mood and cheerfulness on days when my house is clean and tidy, versus days where it is not so much so. When my home is clean, I just feel a sense of peace, of rightness in my life all-over. I can spend time with my children without that neglected chore looming in the back of my mind. I can spend a day away from home, knowing that when I return, everything at home will be sitting there in its proper place and I can just bask in the joy of being home again at the end of the day. A clean floor is the perfect place to do a puzzle with my son. A clean table is the perfect place to put up my sewing machine and start a new project. When I've kept up with the dishwashing, I am all the more eager to try out a new recipe or an old favorite without the worry of adding on to an already-existing pile of dirty dishes. In other words, a clean home is like a clean white canvas-- you can do anything with it!

This Easter weekend just so happens to coincide with the semi-annual General Conference for my Church. Church leaders speak to members throughout the globe, giving us inspiration, cousel, guidance, and comfort. The meeting lasts for eight hours total: a two-hour session Saturday morning, two hours Saturday afternoon; and the same thing again on Sunday. I look forward to this time every six months. But all too often in the past, in between sessions, I find myself hustling around the house trying to get things done. I don't take the time to simply sit after the meeting and truly ponder what I have heard.

This past week, I decided this General Conference was going to be different. I was going to have a perfectly (or near-prefectly) clean and tidy house by Friday night (that would be today), so that on Saturday and Sunday I could be completely focused on hearkening to the words of my religious leaders, pondering on the meaning of Easter, and spending time with my family. And aside from making dinner tonight and cleaning those dishes, and vacuuming the rest of the living room, I am there. My house is clean. My kids have made a minor mess, but nothing that can't be picked up in a couple of minutes.

I feel good. I feel cheerful. I feel right. I am looking forward to this General Conference weekend more than I have for a long time. Cleanliness is next to godliness, because when our homes-- and by extension, our lives-- are clean, it is that much easier to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and to ponder on spiritual things.