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My family is on a six week trip around the country – showing the kids major spots like the Grand Canyon, and Washington DC. However, three weeks in a Tahoe with six kids will teach ya a few things. You can follow us on my blog…www.sherrychamblee.weebly.com. We are also using the hashtag #Gr8USrdTrp on Facebook and

Laundry has been a thing we’ve dealt with extensively so far. It’s rained everywhere we’ve gone, so there have been lots of messy days. Having to go to the camp laundry room means sitting there and waiting, so I’ve had some time to think recently.

First, we all have our own baggage. We carry around with us the things we think we HAVE to have to get through…or those things we feel obligated to carry with us. Sometimes we’re right. Other times, not so much. We put extras in our bag that we really won’t need. Thing is, it doesn’t just go away, that extra stuff. It has to be purposely left behind, or thrown out. Sometimes we don’t know it isn’t needed until we get out on the road and see for ourselves. Unnecessary burdens can be guilt we’ve piled on ourselves…maybe for things that weren’t really our fault, or things God doesn’t spell out as sin, or something to avoid. We can’t always just take it out of our bag and set it down. We have to purposely take those unnecessary burdens, put them in a trash bag, and leave them behind in a garbage can.

Second, we often grab someone else’s ‘stuff’ and carry it around with us for them. They might not even know we have it, but it’s weighing us down, wearing us out, taking up room meant for our own stuff. This happens when we grab someone else’s offense and decide it should be ours, too. Or when someone else was the one doing wrong, but we pick up the guilt and carry it around. It’s ok to help pick up someone else’s things, shake it out, fold it up neat…but when you’re done, put it back in their bag, not yours.

Third, we all have dirty laundry. Sometimes we want to pretend our dirt don’t stink…we give the notion that we never have issues, never get dirt stains or spills, never need a ‘laundry day.’ That attitude in us discourages others around us. I don’t mean to air your dirty laundry on other people’s front yards…no. Just don’t try to hide the fact that you have to clean your laundry, too.

So remember the next time you do laundry – carry only what you really need, only keep your own ‘stuff’ in your bag, and don’t hide the fact that you need to clean it sometimes, too.

We’ve all got baggage…and that’s ok.

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I can be found on Facebook at Author Sherry Chamblee, and Twitter @SherryChamblee