One less window...

By noon today, I had gotten three boys up, showered, fed, and off to school, gone grocery shopping for Thanksgiving stuff, cleaned the kitchen which entailed but was not limited to scrubbing the floor on hands and knees, and scrubbing the oven, as well as several loads of laundry. My legs hurt, my back ached, and my head pounded.

I am always excited about hosting the family Thanksgiving, but this year…

I know that Thursday will be a joyous day filled with love, laughter, and cherished memories, but today I felt stressed, rushed, and less than hospitable.

I was angry with myself for not getting the cleaning done this past weekend. Sunday was spent lying on the couch dozing on and off during the football games because I was sick and not feeling well. And Saturday, well Saturday was interesting to say the least.

Long story short, my dog broke through my front window when my neighbor rang the doorbell to return a pair of pliers she had borrowed the day before. Thank God she was not cut, and the dog was okay. But there was glass everywhere. My brother came over and help my husband get everything cleaned up, the rest of the glass out of the frame, and cut down plywood to put in it’s stead until we can replace the glass. This window is approximately 5 foot high and maybe 1-1/2 to 2 foot wide, and double paned. Don’t even want to think about the cost of replacing it.

Anyway, I decided to take a break from my vigorous cleaning, and stepped outside to sit on the front swing, where I could just sit for a few quiet moments, and try to relax. But as I stepped out my front door, I felt as if I had stepped straight into Alfred Hitchcock The Birds! They were everywhere—on the bushes lining my side yard, on the trees behind my house. It was really awesome. When I stepped into the yard to get a better look, they all took flight. There were so many birds, the sky seemed to turn black. I gazed up into the sky at the amazing spectacle, and was quickly met with the sound of raindrops. ACK!!! It wasn’t raining! I ran to the shelter of my front porch, but not quick enough to avoid the bird poop bomb that hit the back of my hand. YUCK! Better that than my hair, I guess.

I walked back into the house, frustrated…and found the small blessing I’d been looking for. The one that could make me smile despite the events of my day. The one that made my heart change from cleaning out of a grudging obligation to cleaning for the joy of having a house full of family in just a few short days.

Amidst the floor that still needed vacuuming, the shelves that still needed dusting, and the piles of laundry that still needed washing, I rejoiced in the fact that…

I had one less window to clean!!

I actually laughed out loud as the thought hit me!

Seek the small blessings in every situation, and you will always wear a smile.
Don’t get frustrated because you don’t have an umbrella, delight in seeing how big of a splash you can make by jumping in the puddles.

And, to you, my readers, I pray you will find you have one less window to clean.