It’s Passion week. The statues are all covered but the Icons can keep watch. I love draping statues, but it’s always felt rude to do the same to the Icons. This week I’m deep cleaning all my spaces – thus far I’ve found a mouse nest, my long-lost recipe for doughnuts, and the little, wooden duck that fell out of my hair 2 weeks ago.

Spring cleaning is such a joy for me. As I wash away old cobwebs and scrub down the cookstove after its season of hard work, I feel as though bits of myself are being cleansed as well. It’s a slow process – emptying shelves, deciding what stays and what goes, washing, refreshing, reorganizing. I clean my house clockwise – for luck – starting at the doorway, which has always been 6 in my mind. The altar is at noon – or midnight. This morning, after a full day of work yesterday, I am only at 8.

At this point in Lent my whole soul is preparing for Easter. It’s hard to plan Lenten meals – but Easter week is all mapped out. I’ve got a small list of people to have over for doughnuts and creamy-coffee after the fast, but I’ll be mostly anti-social till then. Cleaning week is a way to pour all my anticipation into preparation: “Come Jesus, See how cozy I’ve made Your home!!”

This has been a glorious Lent. Spring is awake all around us, “like a child that knows poems by heart”. The chickens are laying again, knowing I’ll need an abundance of eggs very soon.

One of the joys of the domestic life is the continual opportunity to ‘make all things new’ in tiny, intimate ways. Home is where we play and dream – often at the same time. This week, I’m dreaming with my hands and my hot basin of soapy water.