Thank God for Dirty Dishes...

"Thank God for.... Dirty Dishes
They have a tale to tell.
While other folks go hungry
We are so very well.
With home and health and happiness
We shouldn’t want to fuss,
For by this stack of evidence
God’s very good to us."

In a large family there are stacks of dishes, piles of laundry (Mt. WashMORE) to wash, rooms to clean, meals to make, other little duties, and above all a lot of people to love.
I'm a list maker. I love to make a list and check off accomplished task (I'll even add things I had forgotten to put on the list just so I can have the fun of checking them off). I am a huge fan of multi-tasking. It is VERY hard for me to let things slide. For example, if my younger sister begs to help me clean I'll give her a little chore to do (perhaps dusting, vacuuming or sweeping, etc.)and watch as she does it to the best of her ability. I praise her for a job well done while yet, I see tiny little spots that she has left undone (not purposely, mind you). I shouldn't complain, but rather encourage her that she did such a wonderful job and it room looks beautiful! Sometimes I will take her around and show her the little spots she forgot and give her some tips on how to make sure to look everywhere before saying "I'm finished".
Of course, there are some days where I am rushed for time and need to get everything in order fast. I'll start running water for dishes, while the water is running I'll hurry and put a load of laundry in the wash. Usually by time the dishes are done it is time to put in another load of laundry and then I'll go sweep (sometimes carrying a dust rag with me so I can sweep and dust at the same time). Of course, sometimes the phone will ring so I'll be talking on the phone while doing all the above duties. It is during those times that I can be a little snappy with my siblings or anyone who is standing in the way of a task needing done. I enjoy cleaning when no one is around, so sometimes I'll get up early before every one is up and mop or some do some serious scrubbing. I love to clean and organize! The best part of cleaning is turning on some gospel music and having fun singing while cleaning. After supper some evenings, my 17yr. brother will get his guitar and we'll stand around in the kitchen singing hymns while cleaning up the kitchen after the meal. It is so much fun! I have found that while there are so many things to be done each day the most important is love. I enjoy spending time with my five siblings. I have found on days that I say, "OK. (sigh), I'm not going to worry about cleaning, or baking, spending time on computer, or whatever" and instead focus on spending time with my siblings. I'm free to spend time with them, playing games, talking, helping them with their school work, etc. I enjoy it, they love it and we are building deeper relationships with each other that will last a life time.
Now that I've spent far too much time on the computer I'm off to do some mopping......