Mind -Boggling Cleaning Blitz

Today I cleaned 3 houses before 2pm....by myself. No, I don't have a cape. I did it only out of necessity...to make a parent/teacher conference at the school for 2:15. What a mother will do to stay employed and have a family. I'm sure there are far better examples than I out there...like the guy in "Pursuit of Happyness."

I had to start fairly early to accomplish this...like 7am. Luckily I could. The Kirbys are long gone by then and I had the place to myself finally...the holiday guests were over! Another factor that helped was the distance between the 3 houses. A cinch. Two are on the same street and the third was a 10 minute drive. The last part of the equation, was that 2 houses were only 2 hour houses...and the third was arranged to be a 2 hour house, even though it sometimes takes me longer.

The third house is inhabited by my dear client, Poplin Cross. Poplin Cross is a client that I tend to refer to as my spiritual mentor. When I say "Well, I was speaking to my spiritual mentor and...." I don't mention that I'm usually speaking to my spiritual mentor while I'm washing her kitchen floor. That would just sound extra weird. I mean, who even has a spiritual mentor these days, anyway? Well, I certainly do. I could call her my spiritual psychic, because sometimes she just reads my mind.

Poplin evolved into someone that I could recognize as a mentor. At first, she was someone who simply asked a few discreet questions and did a lot of head nodding. I would clean and talk and talk and clean...before I knew it..I was a little bit healed. It took me about a year to realize what was happening. Poplin was listening to me and helping me work out my issues by guiding me. What a gift.

Poplin considers herself handicap and is retired with this disability. Arthritis claimed her teaching career but made her more spirit-filled. She is an elder at a sort of Pentecostal church, is very holy, no cable TV, romance novels, etc. Poplin is also addicted to "addictive games.com" on the Internet and loves to shop online. She is the queen of bargain shopping, especially in the bedding department. She's always brandishing great buys on flannel sheets and dust ruffles. I say, whatever makes you put more money into the economy...so be it!

Poplin is divorced , a proud mother of a 40 year old son, her ex-husband :12 years in the grave. She 's got it together. She makes small neck pillows and eye pillows filled with flax seed and lavender. She makes hair scrunchies and plastic shopping bags dispensers and sells at crafts fairs. She makes enough to buy more material and books about Jesus. She's my spiritual mentor.

"What shall I do about my son who can't get excited about school?" I say, twisting the cotton mop inside the bucket.

"What are his gifts? " she'll say
or
"Maybe God hasn't opened that door yet for him, give him love and time."

I walk out of there ready to love, forgive, and start a prayer group every time. I'm not the type you'd see at a prayer group, so that falls apart instantly. But I can say I love a little bit more during the afternoons and early evenings once I leave Poplin's tiny house.

Once, when I first met my now fiance', he asked a question that I couldn't answer. Something under the topic of living together. I told him I couldn't answer him until I talked with a friend. I couldn't wait to clean Poplin's house that next week to talk it over. I walked in and she seemed to know right away that I had something on my mind.

Gathering up her pillow-making materials, Poplin set herself up in the kitchen as I began my routine. She wanted to be where I was, she knew I needed her. I turned to her and smiled a sad smile.

"It wasn't the right question was it?' she said, all-knowing

I looked surprised. I thought about it. I said "Ya, you're right."

That was all we said that day.

Three years later, the right question was asked and a ring was slipped on my finger. The first person I called was Poplin.