You're listening to the Love Over Addiction Podcast. Cleaning, organizing and decluttering are three words that helped me while loving someone suffering from addiction.

Around midnight, when he promised to come home after work, but the front door had not opened,

I peaked into my children's rooms to see them sleeping peacefully.

I took a few more steps down the hallway to the linen closet and

instead of worrying about where he was for the last four hours, I decided to do something that I had been putting off for months,

organizing my linen closet.

I had purchased a new mattress and the old sheets no longer fit.

So slowly opening the creaky door I let out a big sigh

and admired my hard work, order, everything in its correct place.

When life felt so out of control, I knew I could always open my linen closet and see pretty baskets and bins carefully labeled,

crisp white towels folded and stacked, and sheets organized according to mattress size.

Martha Stewart would be very proud.

This little closet was bringing me joy.

It was a small cozy space that was thoughtful and intentional.

My linen closet represented what I was capable of.

The final result of my project meant that I could successfully remove every item,

judge whether I needed it, and only keep what I wanted, and get rid of anything that no longer

belonged in my life.

It was a small victory. Yeah, it was, but I knew that this exercise had greater meaning. If I could do this for a linen closet,

where else could I use this simple system in my life? Where else was I storing or holding on to unnecessary items or even more convicting, who else was I holding on to but really needed to remove from my life? What else and who else did I need to let go of? When I was

done with this project I was left with two full garbage bags of linens to donate.

And even though I was tired, I knew if I walked away

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