Addendum 2

Just to be clear: I have nothing against clean houses or the people who like to live in them. I like to live in clean houses, too.

I have something against the idea that nobody can feel the Spirit in a mess. That's all I'm opposed to. You are welcome to keep your house as clean as you like. I'm working on making mine more organized so it's easier to keep clean, too.

To each his own.

But, if you read carefully, you will see I've said nothing lately about the value of clean houses, the experience of living in a clean house, the importance of cleanliness, the joy of empty floors and sinks, or how nice it is to be able to eat off the floor without worries. In fact, it's true that a clean environment is pleasant. There IS value in a clean house. It's important to be good stewards of the blessings we've been given--including our houses.

I am not trying to force everyone to live in a mess. Or even to accept that I have one. Or to feel bad about their own clean house.

It's like when people find out I have a bunch of kids and they feel compelled to apologize for having just a few. I really don't care how many kids you have. I really don't care how clean your toilets are. Keep them however you like.

That's fine with me.

Some day I'll probably write a blog post about how much I love living in a clean environment, and how pleasant it is. Or about that time the Spirit told me to organize my house better. (Because it's happened. More than once.)

I don't hate cleanliness. And I don't hate you for being clean. And I don't think you're doing it wrong if you vacuum your floor or wash your windows, or even if you have a showcase kind of house, like they have pictures of in magazines. Some of the best people I know live in gorgeous, clean houses. And some live in places that look like a hurricane hit.

Like I said, To each his own.

This isn't about houses anyway. I hope that was clear.

Now I'll go back to posting ice cream recipes and poorly-written headlines.