by One night after supper the dryer buzzed as if on cue. Have you ever had one of those days? When every time you think relief is in sight, something necessary reminds you that the day is not yet done? Have you ever wondered if anyone cares or notices all the little things you’ve been doing to make their lives so cushy?
I’m sure you have. We’re moms, after all. Like a washing machine on the spin cycle, we dizzily do what we do best!
So imagine me, that night, after supper so very much looking forward to folding a huge load of whites that I grouched out loud (good-naturedly?) about it immediately following supper. Fifteen minutes sped by as I supervised a bit of the after-supper clean-up. On my way to the laundry room, I noticed that my bedroom light was on. Investigating, I craned my neck around the doorway and saw my ten year old, serenely folding clothes, piles of them, all around her on the bed.
Aw. Pass me the Kleenex. Twas a moment I wound around my heart to treasure always, especially on those now and then days when I feel taken for granted.
As if that wasn’t good enough, guess what? She stood up with a stack of her things, and smiled–my kind-hearted, thoughtful, almost teen girl–and said, “I’m always meaning to thank you for organizing my folded clothes into stacks that I can put away quickly. It makes it SO much faster, and I really miss it when I’m the one folding and forget to do it!” (Wow! I’d been doing that for so long, *I* didn’t even notice it anymore! What–ten years now?)
Besides recording this here for my future “rainy days”, I do have a point…
Have you been meaning to thank someone in your life for something, however little, that they do on a regular basis for you?
Take it from me, they will be ever so tickled that you did, and remember it every time they perform that task in the future.
It doesn’t take much of a spin to make big waves.
What are some of the “little things” your loved ones do for you that you don’t take for granted?
On nights where I leave a certain task to be done on the morrow morn…lol and with a LO running around that happens quite a bit!…my DH will go and do it sometimes. Too often I complain (in my head, but it still counts as complaining) about how he doesn’t do anything to help out around the house. I just take it for granted the times that he DOES actually do things (laundry, dishes…). Also, the HUGE thing I am thankful for, is when I put on a load of dishes in the dishwasher before bed and he gets up for work between 4-5AM, when he actually makes time to put those dishes away and load any new ones into the empty dishwasher…I feel so blessed thinking of it! I will be sure to thank him Mary! Thank you for reminding me.
Oh, that’s precious! It’s neat that your kids are old enough to help that way. I’m thankful that my husband always shovels the snow, and never leaves me stranded.
Let me join the club. Mary’s Dad initiates so many kindnesses toward me. He brings me coffee first thing in the morning so I can have it while I’m reading my Bible. He vacuums for me. I have arthritis and our washer is in the basement so he takes the clothes down and brings them up again when they’re through washing. He lugs a recliner (lazy-boy which has a back that comes off) into motels and people’s homes for me when we’re traveling. He sees to it that we have devotions together each day. He encourages me to interact with our children and grandchildren. He mows the lawn and clears snow from the walks. He sent me off 30 years ago on a 48-state trip with our 3 daughters. He sent me to Hawaii with a teacher friend. He sent me to Alaska to be with our daughter at the birth of her second son. He lets me buy books (smile)… we both love to read; just ask Mary. He buys me unusual cooking stuff…an aebleskiver pan, a popover pan, french bread and baguette pans, a wok, that kind of thing. I love him so much. God has been very good to me.
I feel such a sisterhood with you at this moment! How many times have I been settling down with my blog and suddenly, from out of nowhere, that dryer beep resounds through the halls of the house! EEK! I have two boys, 9 and 11, and they day they offer to fold the laundry might give me a heart attack, but they do try to help out in many other ways. As I pictured a sweet little ten year old girl folding clothes for her mommy, I tried to think of all the sweet things my male progeny do for me (instead of wondering what some more estrogen would do to my household). Thank you for this sweet reminder to be thankful for the little things.
Such wonderful dh’s out there! I love reading how we’re all so blessed!
Geri, what a guy! Unloading the dishwasher is one of my least favorite chores! 😉 That is so thoughtful, it is especially nice to start out the day with a clean sink, for me anyway!
Georgiana, snow shoveling is such a strong and protective act of service! And back-breaking! He’s a good man!
Mom, what a fabulous dad I have! He is a sweetie, I’m so glad you guys can be married almost 51 years and still take such good care of each other! Thanks for sharing all those goodies!
Laura, thanks for the wonderful chuckle I got after reading your comment! I’m so bad about having to turn the dryer on again for ten minutes to toss the wrinkles out of loads I’ve ignored while online! Never used to be such a problem! 😉 And yes, we have plenty of estrogen around here! Though I never think of it in terms of domestic help…I’m so glad you stopped by!
Oh my goodness! That was so sweet of your daughter to do that without being asked!
I don’t usually get help, but tonight at dinnertime, I asked my 6 yr old to set the table. She was excited to do so and while I was bustling around trying to get everything we needed, she put food on my plate for me. She was so proud of herself! My first thought was “Oh noooo…..I didn’t want that much” but thankfully I kept my mouth shut. She was so happy to do that for me and I ooohed and ahhhed.
Julie’s last blog post..Vitamins and Lollipops
Oh…how precious of your daughter.
It is hard sometimes to do a thankless job but someone has to do it.
I have the greatest boss in the world, she is always telling me how much she appreciates all of my hard work and many times will leave little surprises on my desk. Yesterday, she left a pen set and even though, they are not green, I loved them!! I am truly blessed.
Leticia’s last blog post..I don’t know if this is still going on…
Hi, Mary! Thanks for visiting me the other day at the Wellblog! I love when I see a new name on my comments page, it is so fun and encouraging. I look forward to reading more of your stories. I visited Weekend Kindness and read your article about spending quality time with your children. I loved it! So many wonderful ideas. My boys are getting to an age where I want to savor every minute because it is going so fast!! Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Laura
Julie, I’m so glad you shared that, your 6 yo sounds proud to be your helper! Before I had children, I always wanted boys first, yep, little confession. It wasn’t till my third daughter was born that I realized boys probably weren’t in the “plan” for our family, and my RN pointed out that having girls first solves all your babysitting problems! 🙂 I’ve found that to be sooo true, and they love helping around the house too. I know plenty of boys who adore cooking, so I’m not taking away from them, but I have a feeling my little guys would be trailing after their father, and he’s just now taking an interest in food preparation! And only because he’s older and mellowed out! Lol!
[P.S. Anyone else reading this…check out Julie’s last post on Vitamins and Lollipops! She gives a great plug to an organic candy company…my mouth is watering!]
Leticia, having a great boss is a huge blessing nowadays, I’d say it reflects a lot back on you! She wants you to stick around till retirement! 😉 I’m so glad for you!
You’re welcome, Laura, I felt the same way when you visited here! I very much enjoyed reading at Wellblog, more than just a few posts, I might add! Thank you for visiting Weekend Kindness and reading my post there!