It's All Just Stuff and Noise

Kimberly Lynch reminds herself of the more eternal sentiments of the season during an Advent fraught with house renovations and pregnancy fatigue.

Advent 2021, a season that is turning out to demand extra patience and grace … 

Instead of putting up Christmas decorations this year, we ripped out carpets and installed new floors on the second floor of our house, a project that had been long overdue. And since eight people continue to live in said house, that meant moving all bedroom furniture to random corners and spaces on the main floor and in the basement. 

The timing of this renovation was perhaps not planned out at the best time, but then again, as I type these words with my 8-month pregnant belly pushed up against the table, perhaps the timing is indeed spot on. We really need to get it done before baby comes … so we ripped off the band-aid, and after the flurry of rearranging furniture and hurriedly collecting odds and ends, we are now faced with the daunting project of putting the bedrooms back together. 

The organizational chaos has been very triggering, and pregnancy hormones don’t help. I see the inescapable mess all day, constantly reminding me of all the unfinished work. It hovers like a dark cloud over my mental clarity; it has been exhausting. 

And if it’s not the hardwood floors, the mess is constant in other ways. Homeschooling, kids who love to craft, toddlers and preschoolers who love to pick up whatever they find and put it down in a random corner, cats who entertain themselves by playing hockey with the random toys, a sink full of dishes that eventually gets done but grows exponentially because we’re a family of eight, the laundry that’s never done. The overwhelm is a real struggle, and the temptation to shut down feels so much more comforting than to tackle all the stuff. 

And then there’s the noise: the sibling bickering, the electronics with all their bleeps and dings and musical riffs, plastic toys banging … 

In a fit of exasperation one day I shouted to no one in particular, “It’s all just stuff and noise!” 

Just stuff and noise. If I can see past the ultimately inconsequential nature of the material, I can focus on the deeper sentiments of the season. The decorations may not have been pulled out yet, because …. well, where would we put them? The house may not feel very festive, but I remind myself that all the stuff will eventually be sorted out. 

And despite the chaos that envelops our space, my kids are still excited. They know Christmas is still coming, and that comforts my anxious heart. 

I imagine them as grown adults, returning to our home for Christmas sometime in the future. Four brothers sitting out on the porch, sharing a beer. Perhaps their older sisters join them.

“Do you remember the Christmas when we got the hardwood floors?”

“Yeah, all our stuff was everywhere. It was crazy.”

“It was still a great Christmas, though. I remember everyone being most excited to meet baby sister that year.” 

And that’s what I have to protect: not so much the management of our home as much as the relationships of the people within it.

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That’s what I have to protect: not so much the management of our home as much as the relationships of the people within it. #catholicmom

As the collection of stuff grows bigger, my physical body grows older, and the needs of my maturing children become more complex, the mental toll of pregnancy seems to feel heavier with each passing week. But Grace abounds: the distinct unity I feel with Mary as she uncomfortably journeys to Bethlehem, watching in both dismay and compassion as her husband strikes out with finding them lodging. Perhaps they could have timed it up better. Or perhaps their timing … and God’s timing … was indeed spot on.

Because in that little stable in the middle of the night, there wasn’t much noise or fanfare. And traveling conditions certainly didn’t allow for much stuff to be brought along. But that cold, simple night was far more glorious than any decor I could ever choose for my home … hardwood floors and all. A night of Peace. Light. Love.

I can look to the starry night with my heart focused on that.

Copyright 2021 Kimberly Lynch
Images: Canva Pro