{Cleaning closets as a labor of love} What to keep, what to give? Free Printable

Download Robert Morris Quote HERE.

A few summers ago, my sister and I helped my mom and my aunt clean out my grandmother's house.      It was privilege to help, but it was difficult.  

We laughed and cried throughout the week-long process. 

Just like the reality television show, Clean Sweep, we created "give", "throw" and "keep" piles as we worked through the house.  After hauling a lot to the trash, we were left with some useful furniture to pass along to our young adult children and lots of beautiful items {letters, recipes, photos and other treasures} that told the story of my grandparent's lives.  

As a result of that experience, Mr. Wonderful and I are getting a head start purging and sorting our packed closets and overstuffed attics.  We decided the empty nest was a good season for starting the project.  

This wonderful quote by Robert Morris has given me the perfect filter to evaluate each item.  So I ask myself, "Is it useful or beautiful?"

We hope to purge the excess and keep the useful and beautiful.                    

I created a little chalkboard printable for myself~{And to share with you}  

Don't you find it oh, so inspiring?!

This purging and organizing process is meant to bless our children, so we'll leave them with less to sort out later in life.  I also hope to organize family pictures, the children's  artwork and other keepsakes so they can be enjoyed.   I'll be sharing about some of the ways I discover to help make that happen on Bless Your Neighbor.

Won't you join me?

Question:  Have you experienced the difficult process of cleaning out a loved one's house?  What if you spent a little time each week cleaning out your own house so that your children wouldn't be left with the burden of doing it later?

Children are a blessing: Free Download Printable

I returned late last night from the second of two adventures in a week~  

a whirlwind of fun that had me laughing, crying and delighting in some of my dear friends.  

These included an "Abundant Life" retreat that centered me and reconnected me 

with distant friends that I love.  

And a trip to Round Top, Texas for the biggest, baddest, flea market and antique show 

known to man~ really!  I drove in late last night, 

so I need to start my engine with a cup of coffee 

before I download my pictures and post about my adventures full of blessings. 

In the meantime, I couldn't wait to pass along this PRECIOUS blog post by Emily Jones.  A gifted artist and designer, she is a busy mother of four with a wonderful reminder for all of us today.  This is her beautiful family:  

 Please follow this link to the precious photos and insights about keeping perspective in mothering~ while you're there, you can also print the gift below that she has waiting for you.

  It is beautiful.

Meaningful Mantras: Making Yourself Perfectly Clear

"If you don't stand for something, 

you'll fall for anything."

~Unknown

The Mankins are big on mantras.  
You know, little sayings that are branded so deeply into your brain throughout childhood 
that they erupt from your lips later in life~ 
at which moment, you realize you have become your mother?  


A few years ago, Mr. Wonderful and I were listening to a man named Fred Smith give little bits of wisdom from his amazing life.  Fred was a business man in Dallas that lived a life of integrity, following Christ and impacting others through mentorship.  He began by saying, 
"Hello, my name is Fred Smith, I'm 86 years old, 
and I would like to tell you a little about what God has been teaching me lately."  
We were all ears.  At 86, this man was still learning~ remarkable!  


When he got to the subject of child rearing, he said there is only one thing he wished for his children, that they would grow up and be a blessing to others because that was the only way to true fulfillment.
We decided right there, that we had found our first family mantra,  
so I had a friend paint it on our back door.

As I dropped the kids off at school, I began saying,
 "Be a Blessing to your friends and teachers today!"
That was years ago, and by now this phrase has been spoken over our 
children thousands of times.   


Noticing the needs of the people we meet along life's way, offering a word of encouragement or a helping hand must be practiced and developed.     
Painting it on the back door where we see it every day is just a reminder~ 
We can't guarantee that our kids will live a life that blesses others, 
but at least they know where we stand on the subject. 


So that our mantras "stand up", each one represents a Biblical truth.  
"Be a blessing" is simply a shorter version of the scripture in Genesis where God tells Abraham,  "I will bless you... and you will be a blessing to others."  
And reflects the heart of the second most important commandment, 
"Love your neighbor as yourself."


What message do you want your kids to remember?  
Maybe a meaningful mantra would help nail it down.


If you are interested in more of Fred's wisdom, 
a book has been written containing his thoughts, you can find it here.

Letter Writing #2: Writing Letters as a Legacy

The word that is heard perishes,

but the letter that is written remains. 

~Proverb

On the heals of my post about weekly letters to my grandmother, I thought I would pass along this honoring video of  Lakshmi Pratury telling about her father's precious legacy of writing letters.  She is an incredibly successful business woman in india. Reflecting on the pace of life required to reach that success, she challenges us.  Don't sacrifice the ones you love to busyness, and make sure you value the truly important things in life.

Don't over-think what you'll write or you'll end up stifled...
Where do I begin? What do I say? What about spelling and proper punctuation?
No need to worry.  Little Elena drew pictures and used the simplest words, but left a beautiful written legacy.  During her last days on earth, she wrote and hid little love notes all over the house for her family.  I'm glad she didn't over-think it~ 
she just drew and wrote from the heart.

If you need help, there is a great list of books on letter-writing here. 
Sweet. Simple. Lasting.