Thus Far: The Humbling of a New Englander

So I am a New Englander.
If you think you know or don't know at all where a New Englander is from let me tell you.

The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island make up New England.
New York likes to think they're part of New England.
They're not.
Not that I don't love the state, but they're the border state of New England.

There's a mindset that comes with being from the heart of our country's birth.
We're tough- you try settling in a new country and live through a winter farming in New England.
We're right.
Our sports teams are the best.
We can do pretty much everything by ourselves.
Did I mention we're right; therefore our way is right.

We think the south is lacking, we may live here and the sun may shine and life may be great but the south is the south and well the north is just better.
Our states have the best mountains, beaches, homes, land, views and schools.
We're kind of prideful.

I was reminded of all of these things on a recent trip "home", sitting between 2 New England natives on a flight from Orlando to Providence. We got talking about the differences in southern versus northern mindsets. I shared these words from a southern friend, she said, "you'll all (speaking of New Englanders) pretty dead set on your state and your ways being the best"
My fellow Jetblue passengers looked at me, shrugged their shoulders and said "well we are".
We all chuckled with a sense of pride knowing we in deed are of a superior breed of American.

Now I say all of this to let you in on a very humbling experience I had.
Three weeks ago a group of 30 or more students and adults acceded onto my house.
Mind you Steve and I are collectors of free stuff.
We have old wood doors and pallets, rare wood and beams in various piles around our house. The inside seems never completed as we're always redoing or building something, yet somehow never finishing it.

But WE intend to.
On our own, one day.

These students came to my home to bless me.
To start and or complete projects I have only dreamed of competing.
They weeded gardens, created new gardens, build tables and chairs, painted a room, mopped my floor, cleaned up my clutter and did my dishes.

Humbling,
especially for this New England girl,
who can do it by herself,
who doesn't need help; after all I use to shovel the whole driveway after a snow storm; okay so I only did that once but I did it.

Humbling.
See it doesn't matter where we're from.
What school we went to, what sports team we cheer for or what type of weather we live through.
One state is no better than another and beauty surrounds each and every one of us no matter where we step our feet.

We can all use help and love, even when it comes to things that don't really matter, like the color of my empty room or the plants that get planted in my flower bed.

That New England mindset doesn't dictate my thoughts and actions anymore, they kind of simmer on top like the fat floating on my pot roast. I really don't think we're a better breed and I am kind of partial to the Chicago Bulls, colleges are colleges and good ones exists in the south; so you can see that this New Englander has chilled out in her New England thinking; but there was still this sense of "I can do it by myself" when it came to my home.

The morning they came I nearly had an anxiety attack and I felt I should clean everything up before they came. I actually had to leave and be gone until the last 30 minutes of their time here.

I was blessed.

I felt a little freer, a little lighter,
as if my brothers and sisters in Christ had shared my burden and lightened my load.
It was humbling
but rewarding.

I feel like I so didn't deserve this make-over, that someone else could have benefited, I mean after all I could have done any of this by myself.

It's not about by myself.
It's about unity,
togetherness,
love,
giving,
sharing.
It's about grace. No I didn't deserve this, but I got it and I am so thrilled about it.

I am still learning on this path and journey I am on.
Learning to allow others to bless me, help me, love me.
learning to let go of my "I can do it by myself" attitude,
learning to just let God...

Now some pictures from the fabulous home makeover.