Dear FlyLady and Crew,

I have followed you for years and have even written to you a few times. I bought my kids pizza and we pretended we were moving and cleaned their playroom of everything they would not want to pay a moving company to move. We celebrated over 600 people in our home over the course of the year and had my holiday organizer well managed, with the help of routines and home blessings. My husband worked full time as a teacher as well as a full time youth pastor at our church and I was able to help him, while managing a home business, homeschooling our 4 kids, and being involved in women’s ministry. As you so often say, I was the CEO and CFO of our home and you, in my mind, were the secretary, poking her head in the door to remind me, “You have a dinner engagement with your family tonight. Do you know what you are serving?” and “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a load of laundry to reboot.” You were my personal assistant, reminding me of the things needed to be done to keep things running smoothly.

Until last September. I fell, hitting my head and ended up with a brain injury. I spent months in bed, not caring or even able to process what needed to be done and in the months following, just trying to reemerge into life. My daughter, bless her heart, took care of me, the house, the business and the family. She developed her own routines and made it work for her. As a result of the injury, I am no longer the driven, perfectionist, workaholic that I was (which is probably good…). Right now I could not even be close to that if I tried. I don’t know if something was damaged that once lead me to want to be organized, but now I am excited and pleased with my progress if I have a path to our bed and if I made a meal for my family. No longer are you my personal assistant, but your role has now become my therapist. You now come in and urge me to take a break and rest. You encourage me that its okay if it isn’t done perfectly and that it still blesses my family. Your soothing encouragement has allowed me to create new routines that challenge me at this season in my life.

So, thank you. For being there when I needed personal assistant and for being there now while I am in need of a therapist. You see this as a ministry to help others. I see it as a blessing. The Lord is using you in many lives, in many ways. Thank you for being open to His leading.

Amy