Thankful for Laundry & Sleepless Nights
Today I am thankful.
Thankful for never-ending piles of clothes to be washed, dried, and folded for my 2 precious ones who are alive to wear them.
Thankful for my exhaustion today because it means I had a little boy crawl into my bed last night.
Thankful for my daughter’s extensive project to be done. This proves that I have a healthy second grader with the opportunity to attend school each day.
I’m thankful for the cooking to be done for healthy tummies.
I’m thankful for the refereeing I have to do when they fight, because it means they still have each other.
I’m thankful for the books to be read when I am tired. The too-soon-to-wake-up early mornings. The hair to be held back while she throws up. The many moments in the bathroom, waiting for him to finish “going”. Thankful for all the bathing, the tooth brushing, the nose suctioning, the hair brushing, the party planning, the grocery shopping.
Someone, somewhere, right now, is burying their child. Someone, somewhere, right now is grappling with their child’s diagnosis. Someone, somewhere, right now would give ANYTHING for that pile of small gray socks and animal printed panties to be sorted and for those gray baseball pants to be scrubbed again. Someone would give anything to be exhausted because their child wet their bed in the middle of the night NOT because they were up crying all night because their child is gone.
Perspective. This is what I long for, in the day-to-day tasks. This is what I ask God to give me daily. I want to remember what a blessing it is to have these 2 precious children to care for, as I scrub their spit stains off the mirror after I just windexed it yesterday. I believe it is easy for us to be joyless in the day-to-day tasks. My son spilled his drink AGAIN…ugh. This is not how Jesus intends for us to live. Jesus served His people while He walked on earth. He humbly served them.
Thankfulness leads to joy. May we have a spirit of thankfulness in the small tasks because God has given us such a good gift.
Thank you, Jesus, for these 2 precious children you have created and put in my care. I never want to forget what an honor it is to serve them. May I serve them with thankfulness. Jesus, may my home be a place of joy, even in the small tasks. And in it all, may I only have you in the throne of my life because I know only you are lasting and eternal.
Brooke Williams writes, serves, and makes disciples in Florida with her husband, Brian, and her church, Heritage Community Church, as she spiritually invests in their two children, Ainsley & Braxton.
