Does abundance come from stuff? Really if you believed that you would never have enough stuff. Truly if stuff provided abundance wouldn’t you be fulfilled by now?

 No, abundance comes from a heart of gratitude for the blessings we have. It comes from the peace in knowing that no matter how much or how little I have I will be provided for. It comes from the ability to let go and give to others freely, without the need for reciprocation.

 Imagine if all of us had this spirit. If all of us could be grateful for what we have and the only need we had was to help others. Wouldn’t everyone have abundance?

 Yes, it is idealistic, perhaps even a pipe dream. I can’t say that I am able to do this all the time but it is something to reach for. So this year’s theme will be abundance.

Our pastor at church started off this year with a study in generosity. I would like to pass on to you, a book he shared with use called, “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are”by Ann Voskamp.  Ann makes a list of One Thousand things to be grateful to God as part of her journey to leading a purposeful and abundant life. She begins by jotting things down as she sees them.

Having eyes to see the blessings instead of the pitfalls will change your perspective on life. It gives energy and focus to the good, thus leaving the challenges and the need for things with little fuel to spark worry or pain.  Lets follow Ann’s lead and list our blessings, I dare you.

Tax season is here.

Maybe you had to get an extension last year because you couldn’t get it all together or maybe you are like me you procrastinated to the very last minute. I confess, I, a professional organizer, procrastinated. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the paperwork together, I did. I just didn’t want to do it, plain and simple. It isn’t even painful for me because I received a refund.

We all avoid tax season for different reason but I know that for many people it is because they can’t get all the elements together to it to the accountant. If this is the reason you can’t get it together year after year here are a few tips that you can set up things easier and less painful.

1. Have a file that is specifically for deductions. At the end of the year when your statements and 1099s begin coming in you can add them to this file. It might contain the following:
   • Property tax receipts
   • Medical receipts
   • Donation receipts and charitable contribution records
   • Mortgage interest records
2. If you are at all technical then I recommend a money management program like Quicken or Microsoft money. It is easy and all transactions can be imported directly from your on-line bank source. The benefit for tax time is you can categorize all of your transactions and run reports on all of your deductions. Once you have printed these reports out you can compare them to your receipts and be sure you have gotten the most deductions that you possibly can.
3. Create a personal organizer from last year’s tax return that will help you to check off all of the items that you need so you don’t have to worry that you have missed anything. Many accountants do this. but not all, and it really comes in handy if you do your own taxes.
4. Sometimes it is worth it to spend a few dollars and hire an accountant. I have a client that always did her taxes on her own. Last year due to an oversight she almost owed the IRS $25,000. Admittedly, if she had used an accountant she wouldn’t have had this dilemma. The consequences of time, worry and lost sleep, not to mention the cost of hiring someone after the fact was more than if an accountant had been hired from the beginning.
5. These tips will not take the sting out of tax prep but I can guarantee that it will take less time and less worrisome. If you have any questions about how to execute any of the tips listed above please contact us. We are glad to assist.

Most people backslide at some point. Being organized doesn’t mean being perfect. What it means is to be able to recognize when the backsliding is occurring, accept it and take action. Don’t beat yourself up; it’s natural.  Life happens. One option that is available is regular check ups. These help keep things under control.

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We take a holistic approach to serving our clients. We believe that disorganization is internal and is the symptom rather than the problem. We approach each project by addressing the root cause of disorganization. It can be due to a lack of time, attention, mental or physical challenges, trauma, transition or personal management skills. All of these contribute to the imbalances in ones’ life, which ultimately impacts the space. By working with what drives behaviors we can change them as we transform the space.

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We can’t make you trust us, but we can promise to keep everything we see and hear confidential. We are here to help, not criticize or judge. Our professional organizers are trained to understand the challenges that clients face and have compassion for the struggle.

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Remedease is all about empowerment. We will not force anyone to get rid of anything. We empower you to make the decisions that help you realize what is important to keep so you feel you live in abundance and what should be removed because it is cluttering up your life.

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It depends on the person and the circumstance. Some people feel that professional organizing is an expensive luxury, but for others it is a necessity to be able to live their lives to the fullest.

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Remedease has a policy that we do not throw anything away without the client’s permission. This is not about what we want for the client but for what the client wants for themselves; therefore, the decision is not ours — it is yours.

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As I sit here in the ICU with my ailing mother I lament on what I should have done. What else could I have done? There is never enough time. We all have choices as to how we live our lives and sometimes it is difficult to know when you need to take time away from work to help someone else or when it will be ok to just carry on your day.

I am so aware of my actions and emotions these days that I often feel that ignorance is bliss. How much easier it would be to just react and not be proactive. I have to catch myself and encourage myself to live in this moment. Last night I thought my mother wasn’t going to last through Christmas she was so sick. Today is a good day. She is alert, smiling and eating. I am happy, in this moment, at this time to have her, to love her.

I am reminded of the story “I’ll Love you Forever.” It is a story of a mother that cares and nurtures her son. As a baby she rocks him and tells him she will love him forever. As the story goes on it shows the relationship of the mother and son and how it changes until the little boy is a grown man caring and nurturing his mother, rocking her as she had rocked him. As I am blessed to be able to care for her I realize that the transition has occurred. I am now her parent.” When I was a little girl I used to love to be rocked, (truth be told, I still rock when I am stressed). Instead of asking my mother if she would rock me, I would ask her “Momma, can I rock you?” I like the son in the story would love nothing more than to pick her up and rock her to sleep. Sleep, with sweet, sweet dreams of heaven.

Only God knows when he will take her, but I know she is ready. She has told me so. What a blessing to know that she is satisfied with her life and that she, while frightened of the unknown like all of us, is at peace knowing she is going “HOME” soon.

Part of having a balance in life is being able to live with the choices you make. Loving and being loved go hand-in-hand.

May you always realize that time and love are your greatest gifts. May you always remember what is important in life. May you make good choices, starting with choosing to be happy and love. And may you always remember that God has a plan for you don’t ignore the calling.

There is a natural order to the world. Think about it. There are all sorts of ways that nature keeps a balance to prevent clutter. Rain washes away debris and feeds the earth. Flowers die and drop sees to reproduce more flowers. Forest fires while not always good can rekindle growth in an over grown area. Even as human beings we are here for a short period of time and then we make room for the next generation.

It is funny how nature understands this law of physics but we don’t. Most of us don’t understand that there is only so much that we can allow into our lives before it becomes fatal. By fatal, I don’t mean we die, I mean aspects of our life die. For instance: we eat too much and it affects our health so we can’t be as active restricting our experiences. We schedule too much and then can’t keep up on many aspects of our lives from maintaining our homes to maintaining our relationships. If we can set limits and listen to this natural order we could have fuller lives.
This year can you imagine how different life could be if you just set limits. Limits on what you purchased or acquired. Limits on what you said yes to. Limits on how many hours you worked. Less is sometimes more. Think about it…

Blessings,