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| "A Maid Watering Flowers" by Franck Antoine Bail |
One morning last week, I overslept. I was "out" so long I missed my shift. This is the normal time that I start my housework. Of course, we had surprise visitors throughout the day. I tried to tidy the mess, but I had gotten so behind that it was difficult to be proud of my home.
I realize things get messy because we live here, and we need to cook and bake and do laundry. But if I stay on top of it all, it normally stays fairly neat. This was not the case last week. It would have been far better if I had only fallen asleep on the job.
How many of us have forced ourselves out of bed in the morning with a promise that we will get a nap later? Or how much we can't wait until night when we can sleep again? (smiles) Sometimes this is because of the cold weather. I can't imagine ever feeling that way on a warm summer day, or a pleasant spring morning. It must certainly have to do with the cold. But the brave mother, who starts the fire, (or has her husband do it, as in my incompétent case), will have a lovely, cozy start to her day.
It is the struggle against duty that must be overcome. We must remember that we can have breaks, and rests and times of leisure. These should be sacred to the soul, to keep our spirits up, and keep us going joyfully and peacefully.
This is why I love to keep my parlour clean and pretty. It is a pleasant place to sit and rest. It is also a beautiful place to greet visitors. Even if we only have one room decent and nice, most of the time, we can have a sense of accomplishment. We can gain strength in that room, to make the rest of the place look lovely.
Well, I am late again today, but not as late as last week. I will have to get some work done this morning, before the family rises. It is still quiet here. Mr. White has just started the fire in the parlour. I will make tea so I can calmly survey the damage this messy house has endured overnight (I have teenagers and was ill yesterday). But I will set it all to "rights" this morning. That will boost my spirits and also bring happiness to the family.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives -
The Leisure Hours - How a Housewife Passes the Time.
Are You Dreading This? - Beware of Random Kitchen Inspections.
A Mother's Influence - Who Will Weep For You Now?
Wonderful post. I hope you feel better and get all your work done. :)
ReplyDeleteYou write so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI like 'survey the damage' the house endured overnight. This is the case at my house, too. The kids are old enough too stay up later than Mom and Dad, and there is inevitably some mess from that. Usually just a few pillows to straighten and a few dirty dishes--things that Mom would have cleaned up if she had been the last one to walk through the house before bed!
ReplyDeleteThis is so neat! I, too, promise myself a nap later in the day when I have a hard time getting up in the morning! Usually I don't need it, but it works... I am so thankful for all the little routines with which I start each day. I don't need to think in the morning to get started and by the time I get all my little duties done, I'm awake and ready to move forward with the day.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling much better today!
Sweet Spring Blessings to you today, Mrs. White.
ReplyDeleteWhen my Parlour starts getting unkempt, I get unkempt. So I love it when it is in order and dusted.
Also the Master bedroom. Kitchen comes in there...then the Dining room...ha...the family room well it's usually always a mess.
A continuous task!
But some bodies gotta do it! Grins...it feels great when it's been done. Drink it in,
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