Seven Days of Thanks: Day 6 - The Mess

I am not a messy person. Not at all. Then I got married, and my stuff joined another person's stuff and we were double-stuffed. Then we had a child. Then we had another child. Now we're preparing for a third child. And I have been forced to let go of some of my notions of clean and organized. There are only so many ways to store toys. There are only so many places to set up exersaucers and cradle swings. There are only so many hours in a day to do laundry and vacuum and wash dishes.

God has shown me that I am blessed by my mess. My house isn't as clean as I would like, but my days are spent helping Abigail with her homework and playing cars with Zachary and sometimes even getting to sit on the couch with Carey for a half hour after the kids go to bed. My house is messy because my children are blessed (even spoiled!) by so many people who love them. My sink is full of dishes because we have food to eat. My hamper is full of dirty clothes because we have an abundance of clothes to wear. All of the things that make my house a mess are blessings in my life, including the aforementioned husband and two darling children. ;-)

So instead of being frustrated and overwhelmed by my mess, sometimes, I just look at it and smile. Why wish for a clean house when my home is filled with laughter and playing and living?

Cleaning your house while your children are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.  -Phyllis Diller