Yesterday I went to Relief Society Meeting. Faye Flame was speaking about staying spiritually healthy. We were talking about how this effects our lives especially moment to moment. I felt prompted to share a small moment that happened yesterday. I was sewing new valances for the living room and I was in a hurry to finish before the children came home from school. In my haste, I knocked over the tin full of pins. I looked at the mess on the floor and decided it was an opportunity. I called out, "Hey, John grab a magnet and come here!" He came and I showed him how to pick up the pins with it. He was excited to help and said "Mom, this is a really great idea!" The rest of the project was one of those great bonding times. John snipped threads and took pins out of my sewing. When I had nothing else he could do I gave him a wash cloth, a needle and thread so he could sew to his heart's content. This morning he noticed a hole in the knee of his jeans. As soon as Sesame Street is over he wants to sew them. I'll let him, but I don't think he will be wearing them in public.
The peace that comes with a more spiritual outlook can change everything. I think back to how I grew weary of dirty diapers when I was new mom. After 24 years of dirty diapers they don't seem like such a big deal any more. It is the change in thinking from,"Not another one, I hate this!" to "Let's get you cleaned up so you can be more comfortable." I hope I am teaching my children a better attitude about the little unpleasant things in life. It seems as though most of those revolve around cleaning something.
Lydia thinks cleaning up is great but she's only 18 months old. By the time she gets really good at it, it will probably loose some of it's appeal. I kept her happy through Tyler's graduation ceremony by giving her baby wipes to clean the seats and floor. Helping with the dishes and laundry are also favorite pastimes.
Those are never ending chores for me. I don't think it is possible to get every dirty dish in the house washed, or every piece of laundry done. I am dealing with too many people. I used to hate those chores as well. Having a dishwasher, a large capacity washing machine and efficient dryer have helped my attitude, but even with those I could choose to think of them as the ball and chain in my life. Enlisting the children's help lessens the load, but there are times that they don't have the time to pitch in. A deep breath, roll up my sleeves and plunge in. You can't finish until you've begun. Hey, I've done harder things than this before. Why be miserable? There is no way I can help smiling through the chores while watching a toddler giggle every time she drops a shirt in the washer or seeing a preschooler burrow into a pile socks. It's the people that make life joyful.
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