I'm thankful for LAUNDRY??

Of course, this time of year we all have hearts full of Thanksgiving. It is a topic on our minds and of discussion around our homes. I am no exception. I have so very much to be thankful for. My blessings are innumerable and obvious. With the most obvious being my precious family, whom I adore.

However, sometimes we hear or see or talk to someone who brings to our attention just how grateful we should be. This can come at unexpected moments, no matter what time of year. I had one of those moments this week.

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I hate laundry. It's just not my thing. I always have a lot of it clean needing to be folded and put away. I always have a lot of it dirty needing to be washed. I always have piles to sort and hang and there is always an endless supply of socks to match. It's the job that I never seem to be done with and can't ever seem to stay ahead of. I hate laundry. I say it pretty often and think it even more often than I say it.

Well, John's parents came up for a very pleasant visit this past week. While they were here, the topic of laundry came up in conversation. (more with John than me, since it was in Spanish with his Mom.) John is one of 7 kids and he casually asked his Mom how she kept up with laundry when all her kids were small. She agreed that it was a challenge. Then she went on to explain that for most of the years that her kids were small they were in Mexico without washing machines. She literally washed her laundry on a wash board and hung it to dry. This included the diapers, which she made. Many of our parents used cloth diapers, right? Well, they didn't have money to buy cloth for diapers, so she cut up the bags that flour came in and boiled them. This made the material soft and cloth like, so that it would work well for diapers. After hearing that, I had a new respect for her and the challenges that she has overcome in her life. She worked hard to take care of my husband and his siblings, much harder than I have to work.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful that I have a functioning washer and dryer to assist in my laundry duties. And I'm also thankful that I can buy diapers, change them and throw them away, instead of washing, re-using and then making more myself. And I suppose I should be thankful for all the laundry we have, because it's a lot better than not having clothes at all. So today I tried to do laundry with a better attitude and it wasn't so bad. I've been enjoying the holiday break time with my kids too, so that made it even better. (they put their own stuff away! :-) I reminded myself today that with the right attitude, we can be thankful for everything in life, even things we thought we hated, like laundry.

Happy Thanksgiving!