Before There Was Pinterest

I just want to say that before there was Pinterest, there was my mom.

Before Real Simple ever wrote a "new uses for old things" column, my mom had put an over-the-door shoe rack in the hall closet for mittens and hats, and in my bathroom for all my hair supplies.

Before home organization had become a thing warranting entire cable channels worth of programming, my mom had split our pantry into two organization units- one for food, the other for us.  We each had a bin that held hanging files- one for school, one for sports, one for youth group, etc.  She even had one for scholarships in my bin, where she started keeping track of my accomplishments and making notes for applications. She started that file when I was 12.

Some might call that a bit too much.  And some days I'll agree with you.  But in this season where I'm going through my parents' home, sorting and cleaning, I'm also learning the art of treasuring.  I'm discovering who my mom is through the way she kept her home- what was important to her, what was not.  Just like with anybody, some of the revelations are hard, but many of them are showing me the aspects of my mom that I want to emulate.

So today, I'm honoring her creativity and her desire to keep her home beautiful and functional.  She was and is inspirational in these areas, and she's done it all without Pinterest.  Way to go, Mom.  I hope to be like you in that respect, but I'll probably have to cheat at some point, which leaves me thankful I didn't grow up before there was Pinterest.