Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Sometimes, God knocks softly on your door

And other times He whacks you with a 2x4.

Over the past few weeks I have been self-evaluating my progress with my work. No, I did not run out and get a "real" job, I am referring to my work as a stay at home mom. I have a number of responsibilities, and I am fairly successful with most, but my major downfall is housework.

Now, I can give plenty of justifications and excuses as to why this is so - namely my rheumatoid arthritis. But, I am not looking for excuses. Rather, I am trying to change my thinking and habits so that housework will not be such a burden. The truth is, physically, my RA is not so advanced that I cannot accomplish simple housework. My problem is that I let it go until it seems so overwhelming that I just feel discouraged. However, over the last few weeks, I have made great advances. I have dusted, wiped, rearranged, de-cluttered, and vacuumed (I even vacuumed the ceiling to get rid of cobwebs!) Both of the kids' rooms are cleaned and vacuumed. We are all doing a pretty good job of maintenance. Of course, part of the major cleaning of the kids' rooms was laundry. I have loads and loads of laundry yet to do, and more gets added to the pile every day. For me, laundry is my least favorite chore - it is frustrating because it never ends, I will never be caught up, and I will never be done.

This morning, as I was gathering a load to stick in the wash and leering at the ever expanding pile, I was reminded of a quote from St. Josemaria, something about the perseverance of the donkey that turns the waterwheel. I was annoyed because I couldn't remember the full quote, so I grabbed my copy of The Way and found the section on perseverance. The first one my eyes fell upon -" #989 Come, now! After saying so often, "The cross, Lord, the cross," it is obvious you wanted a cross to your own taste." I burst out laughing. Talk about being put in my place!

BTW - I did find the original quote I was looking for - " #998 O blessed perseverance of the donkey that turns the waterwheel! Always the same pace. Always around the same circle. One day after another, everyday the same. Without that, there would be no ripeness in the fruit, nor blossom in the orchard, nor scent of flowers in the garden. Carry this thought to your interior life."

1 comment:

Suzanne Di Silvestri said...

I love this post, on so many levels. Housework is a constant struggle, especially laundry, but the donkey is so essential! I am constantly challenging myself to find new and better routines and, as long as I continue to struggle, I make progress. Perhaps at the pace of a turtle, but progress nonetheless. Keep at it, you are on the right path!