Angels with Feather Dusters

There was a knock at my door at 8:30 this morning. I had just finished getting dressed and making my bed. (Mom, I'm sorry it took me 100 years to get in the habit of making my bed. It takes two minutes, and there are so many good reasons for doing it.) I grabbed one of my new hats and was glad that I was at least presentable and able to answer the door.

Surprise! It was the house cleaners from Cleaning for a Reason. My chemo-addled brain completely forgot about my appointment, even though it was written in my calendar. There were two house cleaners, a young man and an older woman. Between my cold and my achin' back, I really haven't done much around here besides make my bed. So there was plenty for them to do, and they cleaned for about an hour and a half. I was afraid to move after they left. Like the Peanuts character PigPen, somehow chaos and messyness just surround me. They cleaned the floors, they cleaned under things and behind things, not just my weekly token swipe at dirt and dust.

Of all the wonderful things I've experienced since my diagnosis, this has got to be in the top three. I'm so grateful one of the social workers at the hospital thought to mention this program to me. If you find a few extra bucks available for a charitable donation, here's an organization that really makes a huge impact in the lives of cancer patients.

Just before they left, the woman reminded me I get two more free cleanings, and suggested I think about any special project I might want them to tackle. "Like your kitchen..." she grimaced, insinuating that a team of cleaners could spend a week in there. (Yes, I know, but I think it's important to present my immune system with some real challenges.)