Spouses may let out a few “hmmmms and ahhhhhs” over the salmon you barbequed, but most of the work involved in running a successful home goes without much thanks -- to include pay. So, Mama, champion of doing the thankless household tasks, here are some thankful thoughts you can think so while doing thankless work you’ll enjoy it.
1. Laundry
As you fold each garment of your precious family’s clothing, bless those people and think about when you first met them. Be thankful your family has clothing and that you’re not all running around naked. Be thankful for your appliances and the fact that you don’t have to drag your hamper down to the river and wash stuff on one of those board deals.
2. Dishes
As you wash the dishes, be thankful for hot, running water. Just think, you and your family don’t have to eat straight off the table with your hands, because you are civilized, you have good table manners, plates, glasses and silverware.
Look closely at the suds and see the beautiful colors in the little bubbles and be thankful you can see. I remember my mother being reduced to tears reading a true story about a woman who’d been blind her entire life and with a surgery was able to see. She wrote about the beauty of bubbles.
3. Cooking
As you prepare each meal, be thankful for our hard working farmers. I buy eggs, milk, beef, pork and chicken from local farms and I get wild salmon from a fisherman who fishes in Alaska. I’m so grateful for all their hard work and when I focus on the labor that goes before me as I stand at my stove or counter, I feel part of a wonderful plan and I’m humbled fixing each meal.
4. Vacuuming
I’m a proud owner of a Shark! I love my Shark almost as much as I love my husband. I think the Shark people took the long and infuriating list of what’s been wrong with all the vacuum cleaners ever made and built the Shark to fix each aggravation. It’s absolutely an amazing, sucking machine and I’m not getting paid to tell you! As I vacuum, with music revved up, I literally fly through my home with the greatest of ease! Thank You SHARK!
5. Dusting
Dust is evidence we’re alive! Most dust comes from life’s slough, which is proof we’re still here in spite of the slough. Be thankful that when you dust that it shows immediately.
6. Driving
As you drive the kids around like a private chauffeur, be thankful for your car. Just think when you drive it into the garage, you don’t have to feed, water and brush it. Be thankful for the roads you get to drive on and remember to be thankful for the local police who are there to keep you and your family safe from people who shouldn’t be driving cars.
7. Making the bed
As you make your bed, first think how thankful you are to have one. When’s the last time you slept on the floor? Second, think of your bed as a sacred place. When you sleep, you are closest to God. Think “shrine” when you make your bed. Give thanks as you smooth out the covers, that you’ve been given the gift of sleep by your Creator. Such a gift could not be wrapped in fancy paper with a bow.
Of course, I only listed a fraction of the jobs we moms do in order to run happy, successful and peaceful homes. But you get the idea. Start shedding a thankful light on every job you do and watch your joy quotient rise.
Speaking of being thankful, I’m so thankful for you and the work you do. Thank you for reading my blog and I’d love it if you’d share it with a friend. Oh, and by the way, if clutter is getting in the way of your joy and gratitude, I’d like to give you the chapter in my latest book, The Joy of Being Disorganized, on eliminating clutter from your home. Clutter is the greatest destroyer of peace and joy in your home. Here’s your free gift:
http://lp.housefairy.org/lp-joy-of-being-disorganized-chapter-seven
Love,