Thankful In the Ordinary 1

 

Here we are in the 11th month of the year.  Very close to saying goodbye to 2026, which moved by quicker than 2025.  This month is for celebrating my son's 19th birthday and for stuffing our faces with turkey but it's also a month that reminds us all to be thankful.  

I do tend to take life for granted sometimes, especially the ordinary, so for the month of November I'd love to turn this blog into a place where I can give thanks for most of those ordinary moments.  

This morning as I was scrubbing the toilet and cleaning other areas of the bathroom I thought of how grateful I am for this time I have at home.  My husband is at work, my daughter is at school and my son is miles away at college and here I am at home doing the monotonous, never-ending housework.  My husband works full-time to use the money earned to pay the bills for this house.  My kids are getting an education so that they, too, one day can work and earn a living.  There have been so many times when I feel like I am nothing, doing nothing, and lacking in succeeding in anything.  Then I remember, I am doing the most important work of all.  I am providing a space for my family that is clean and making sure their bellies are full.  If I knew then what I know now I probably would have worked a lot harder at it before.  I wouldn't have complained so much.  I wouldn't have thought so negatively about it.  Many women of today will look at homemaking as oppressive but I see it as a wonderful opportunity to be able to provide for my family in the most nurturing way.  I can't say I succeed at this, but what a joy I feel when my husband can come home from a long day of work to a clean home and a warm meal ready for him.  He worked hard and deserves to come home to that.  

I'm not only providing for my family but I am also doing the work the Lord has called me to do.  I do have a part-time job because in today's economy it would be tougher for us if I didn't work at all, but I am thankful to be a school van driver, which gives me the opportunity to be home in the middle of the afternoon.  I use this time to clean and even though it never gets all complete by the end of the day I know that there will be a chance to get more done tomorrow.  I am thankful for my role in this family, even when my effort goes unnoticed or may not seem like it matters much.