“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait ‘til tomorrow, for babies grow up we’ve learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep; I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”
I came across this lovely little poem today, and my heart just melted. Every mother is the CEO of a major company. She's in charge of so many things. It can be downright overwhelming. She's got to tend to the laundry, the cooking, the baking, the cleaning. And we all know that all of those are non-stop, never-ending, and when you do them all from top to bottom, you have to start right back up again! The homeschool mom even has teaching on her list!
If you know me at all, I am a stickler for doing my own chores. I have a schedule, and I try to keep it. You will never see piled up laundry in the hamper nor dirty dishes in my sink. (And I wash my dishes by hand because my dishwasher works terribly.)
But... but... don't think I am bragging. Heavens, no! I can tell you plenty of my shortcomings. I don't dust as nearly as much as I should. There are many piles of things that need sorting or reorganizing or just some plain old attention. I look around my house most days and think, "What a mess!"
And then I stop and think, someday I'll have a clean home. Someday my house will be magazine picture-perfect. You won't find dust nor will you see messy piles. You won't spot the dirt my boys' shoes tracked in from our gravel driveway, nor will you see the toys scattered here and there. And you absolutely will not see the hand prints all over my sliding glass door, despite more than one cleaning a season!
But that empty nest won't be nearly as fun without all the laughter and chatter and little feet running about, will it?
So for today, I will embrace the messy house, the boys who scamper about and wreak havoc, and my baby who interrupts my well-planned schedules to maintain order.
After all, THEY are the reason I do what I do in the first place. The house is going to burn one day anyway. It is their souls I am after to win to eternity. Nothing else matters.
Caleb, Silas, and Anna, I love you more than words. Forgive me for not being a better mama. I am trying, and am always trying, to improve. Be patient with me! I am a slow learner. Love, Mama
