Ruffled up laundry

The loads of laundry looked dreadful. Colors, whites, darks, jeans, sheets, and stains ran through my mind. Just the thought of it exhausted me. For those that don't know me, laundry is my least favorite thing. Continually it poses to be an ongoing struggle.

In my first years of marriage, I composed the perfect plan. Laundry day would be my "chick-flick" day. Crying and laughing I would sit in the middle of the piles folding away. Since then our family has doubled and so has our laundry, the children grew up and time escaped. Now, laundry is simply fit in with all of the other stuff. And some days, on my good days, I choose to do it with a smile.

This week, a friend asked me an interesting question "Does it ever get to be enjoyable?" Well, I have never been asked the question before so immediately I began to wonder. Does it? Has it? And will it be?

One thing I knew for sure. I do my chores, no matter what. I hold them equally important to each other, but joy on the other hand, was a little different. The best thing I have, is that I seem to easily recognize the things I don't like and to try to find ways to make it into some thing I do.


For instance, people think that I have a passion for cooking. And it might seem that way, but the truth is that I have a passion for new flavors and if I don't cook up something new, by itself it is not a passion at all. Early on I discovered that if I wanted delicious, I would need to make it delicious. Now I just follow the instructions of people who do have a passion for it.

Cleaning is another big one that I get asked all the time. For me, cleaning is one way I help free my mind of the clutter that I can control. By taking a few minutes out of my day, I find that I am in a better mood and less overwhelmed. This way I can spend the rest of my time filling it in with the things that I love.

I love having friends over, I love making things for them and with them. I love the feeling I get when I spend the day enjoying the sun and doing nothing at all, but having every thing done. I love to create and implement it into every area I can. That I have a passion for and I use it to drive me to do the things that I don't.

But joy? Sometimes I just hum the line "Our joy comes from the Lord".

On the other hand, there also comes along moments, right after laundry and in between dinner where I have a small amount of time to be free. And in this ruffle, joy happened.

Joyous, hope.