It is so easy to feel bogged down by the day to day business of taking care of a family. You finally get the last pair of socks folded and put away when today’s laundry gets tossed in the hamper. Muddy paws and feet traipse across your freshly mopped floor. The couch pillows never seem to stay on the couch for more than 10 seconds. An hour after you finish dusting, you can see the next week’s dust beginning to accumulate.
I was grumbling to myself one day while wiping smudges off the window for the millionth time, when God spoke to my heart. He said, “be thankful for the little fingers and noses that made those smudges.” It occurred to me that day that all those things that make life as a mom so challenging are perfect reminders of everything I have to be thankful for.
- I’m thankful for the never-ending pile of laundry. It is a reminder that God has given me a house full of people to love and that he has provided for our need for clothing.
- I’m thankful for the mountain of dishes because God has given us plenty to eat.
- I’m thankful for the toys that are always scattered about – a reminder that God supplies not only our needs, but so many of our wants.
- I’m thankful for the socks that are left on the floor because their presence means my husband has been spending time at home.
- I’m thankful for the muddy footprints because they are proof that my children have been outside becoming intimately acquainted with God’s creation.
I’m still working on a way to be thankful while I’m dusting, but you get the idea.
The backdoor swings shut.
She’s singing now. Leaning way back on that swing – the swing her almost thirteen years are too big for. I can’t hear but can tell she’s singing and swinging freely. Continue reading »
