Chaos Day is alive

It's also Chaos Never Dies Day. Yes, it's true. We celebrate dozens of November events, like National Men Make Dinner Day which is today. Pumpkin Chunkin' Days ends this Saturday followed by Area Code Day on Tuesday. Then there's Use Less Stuff Day and Flossing Day and Name Your PC Day. There's also Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day and Married to a Scorpio Support Day. (I'm a Scorpio.)

But first comes Chaos Never Dies Day. Chaos is described as a great disorder or confusion.

For some people, chaos is a way of life. For others it depicts episodes in their lives, when suddenly things are turned upside down in their usually serene lives.

For others it describes their garages or closets.

I know this person who has a four garage house. Cars are not parked in the garages because there's no room. Instead, they are piled with farm equipment, old appliances and a conglomeration of other paraphernalia.

A relative of mine periodically cleans his garage. He pulls out the fishing boat, four wheeler, riding lawn tractor and numerous other items.

Inside the garage is a large upright freezer and a refrigerator, tools and a myriad of other items. Then he shifts things around before putting those items back into the garage. Meantime his truck sits out in the elements.

I personally think there should be a I Need to Do Something About This Day. I walk around my house thinking that phrase all the time especially when I look in my closets. Shoes overrun the closet floors and clothes are jammed like sardines in a can.

Periodically I rearrange the clothes, hang different items neatly together, such as blouses, skirts, and pants but they inevitably get moved until there's chaos again. It's like the clothes hangers take on a life of their own. And clothes, like rabbits, just seem to proliferate.

I admire people who hang their clothes so neatly and don't allow one garment to touch another. I know a guy who does that. His shoes, too, are displayed like soldiers at attention. I've never been able to accomplish that.

Many people I talk to share my chaotic problem.

My girlfriend has declared she must do something about her disorderly closets too. She's in the process of storing summer clothes and re-hanging her winter clothes in their place and discarding.

Just this week my sister was describing a similar overcrowding problem .She has bought a small building where she plans to store some of her clothes and an exercise bike which she no longer uses, plus other things. That will relieve some of the congestion in her house.

Having chaos in our closets or garages is really not such a big deal in the scope of things.

Sadly, there's chaos in the lives of many people. There's chaos in marriages that don't seem to work, and disorder in blended families that can't seem to strike a peaceful balance. There's heartache and worry in losing a job with no money coming in to pay the bills. There's depression and sadness.

Lives are chaotic in this serious economic downturn. People have lost their livelihoods and cannot support their families. Some have declared bankruptcy and have lost their homes.

I know one good man whose life recently took a bad turn. He was caught in a layoff at a nearby plant. He drew unemployment insurance until that ran out. Last I heard he was unemployed and down to his last few dollars, desperate, his life in shambles. He's staying afloat by doing odd jobs, but he needs permanent employment.

I'm sure that's a scenario that's being repeated all across our state

Yet, we have to remember that God is not the author of confusion. He offers peace and order. He never promised a rose garden but he did promise He would be with us in times of trouble, always. He offers rest, not chaos.

But I guess He expects us to clean up our own garages.