During a recent visit to the homes of my parents and my parents-in-law, I had to chuckle at how organized things are. Both of their homes stay in good order, even if a little dusty in spots. Cabinets are orderly, even if a little cluttered around the edges. Closets are the exception: They all have way too many clothes in every one of them.

At my house, I have a little orderliness in some spots. I have much disorder in many other spots, but I plan to work on those spots soon. My clothes closets seem to be getting more and more crowded as the years go by. Like pounds, clothes are easy to come and hard to go. I need about two full days to clean my own closet. (I must mention that one closet in the house is neat and orderly, my husband’s. (sigh)

During visits to my adult children’s homes, I get a little flustered with the clutter, kind of like I used to when my kids lived at home. The disorganization of the rooms, especially where their children spend most of their time, means they have trouble finding things – the entire purpose of being organized. In my adult children’s defense, though, all of them have moved around many times, and they barely get somewhat organized before they move again. I am convinced that it takes years to get a house in complete order, which is why the elderly have an advantage over the rest of us.

Also, homes occupied by those in various stages of life have a different atmosphere. My parent’s homes are quiet places with crisp, clean linens and the frequent smell of spices in the air from their baking projects. My own home is quiet and serene in the bedrooms, dining rooms and the living room, cluttered in the main living areas. My adult children’s homes are noisy throughout with the sound of children running and playing (sometimes where they should not). Hand towels are often knocked off of racks, and the family’s beds are frequently tumbled, if made at all.

Isn’t it wonderful that those of us who have never “gotten it all together” eventually will? The stages of our lives mean that we look toward our parents as examples, just as we did when we were all and they seemed so perfect in our eyes. Our adult children look at the two older generations and are encouraged that things will settle down eventually. We in the middle can look forward to the positive aspects of growing older and can look backward at where we’ve been. My personal goal is to live in a way that encourages my adult children and comforts my parents. It’s quite a responsibility to be in the middle, but one that most of us middle-agers usually carry without feeling overwhelmed. Just talking about the folks that I am so thankful to have in my life makes me want to go to their homes for a visit, if only I could find my car keys in this cluttered kitchen.