Under our bedroom window, there is a short and squat wooden cabinet. On top of this cabinet is a pile of paper. A mountain of paper. There are paintings and school projects; receipts, magazines, catalogs; coupons, junk mail and brochures. This pile resulted from cleaning. For the past year, (or longer?) whenever we had company, I would move paper piles from the kitchen to that bedroom cabinet. My kitchen counters would be cleared, but that pile in the bedroom kept growing and growing. I can close the door on that pile, but every time I go into the bedroom, the pile is there, taunting me.
This week, I’m determined to get rid of that pile. Every day, I’ve been whittling away at it, filing and recycling and throwing out. It’s taking a long time…I have the handicap of two little girls who seem to constantly need attention these days.
Piles of stuff are my nemesis. I’ve got piles of laundry in the bathroom, piles of old teaching things in the basement, piles of toys in the living room, piles, piles, piles.
And then there’s the figurative piles, piling up in my brain. The shopping lists, financial worries, my volunteer work, my to-do lists, all piling up, along with stress, anxiety, and fear. I’m feeling cranky and tired. I’m wondering if I’m stretching myself too thin…but which responsibility should I give up? I enjoy teaching Sunday school, I love serving on my Mops steering committee, and while Vacation Bible School is a lot of hard work to lead, that week itself is always a joy.
If I can just keep chipping away at all these piles, and try to relax and have fun along the way, I’ll feel such a sense of accomplishment when all is said and done.
Then new piles will start growing, just like the junk mail on my kitchen counter.
Just call me Tortoise, 
(Slow and steady wins the race…)
