This post started out being titled “Dirty Jobs” but as my day progressed my outlook on life, today in particular, changed…and the Dirty Jobs day will go down in the history books as a Day in Paradise. My day thus far has been a series of distractions and tangents, so be forewarned that this may also jump from one place to another without warning 
I woke up this morning feeling rested (a rare thing lately), ready to put on my cleaning clothes and get some long overdue chores done. I got the ball rolling yesterday when (after two months of being broken) I was finally able to push a button, open the garage, and let in the light! My goal was to make enough room to park my rather large vehicle in the garage again before I went to bed…and I was successful! While achieving that goal, I managed to bring in at least two loads worth of dirty blankets, towels, clothes and at least a load of dirty dishes! What in the world!?!?! So I went to bed knowing that today would be a day of continued cleaning.
What I didn’t know is that when I heard Eliza stirring over the baby monitor this morning, my pile of garage laundry would move down the laundry list…I opened her bedroom door to be stopped dead in my tracks by a horrid smell. *Enter distraction #1* At first I thought I was in for a nasty, too-many-summer-berries diaper, but quickly found a pile of dried, crusty, rotten milk vomit – EWWWWWW!!! My sweet little baby girl reeked, her hair reeked, her blankies reeked, her stuffed bunny reeked, okay…really her entire room reeked! I had waves of emotion ranging from feeling like horrible mother who didn’t have the sixth sense to know that my baby puked in the middle of the night, to complete disgust and frusteration that I now have another mess to clean up. I opened her window and turned on a fan (which mostly aided in making the entire upstairs smell like rotten milk). Then…puke bedding into the washing machine on the two-hour sanitary cycle. Pukey baby into the shower with me to try and scrub off the stank (three shampoos with Johnson’s Lavendar shampoo and still the faint smell of rotten milk lingers!). Put on clean clothes. Vacuum up chunkies that flew onto Eliza’s carpet. And now time for breakfast…
While everyone was quietly eating toast (my breakfast of choice when I fear that the stomach flu is lurking) I snuck off to my computer to check my morning messages. *Enter tangent #2 of the day* I found an email from my blog site informing me that I had a new comment to approve. The comment ended up being a quick hello/introduction from an acquaintance, of my friend Jen, who has been reading my blog. I, of course, in turn had to check out her blog. Once again, I got sucked into the fascinating world of missionaries. My new “friend,” her husband, and two daughters live in the south of France as church planters. I spent the rest of my morning checking on my kids and then running back to the computer to read more about her transition from a comfortable life in the states to a new life in a new culture. I couldn’t stop reading…and of course as blog posts go, I was going back in time to the point when they loaded their last few bags of belongings on a plane to start this new adventure. Just as I was leaving a comment on her blog to thank her for entertaining me all morning, Eliza decided she was done being content…perfect timing babe (oh, and for anyone wondering, no more puke so far!)
I rounded up some blankets to make Liza’s desired “lizard nest” in her crib (all of her favorite pink satin blankies are still drying after their sanitization). Then I snuggled my sobbing, sleepy, feverish little girl and rocked her to sleep. Oh, what a wonderful thing…that my last baby will still fit in my arms, lay her head on my chest, and snuggle herself into dreamland. I do some of my best thinking when I am sitting in a dark room with a warm little bundle in my arms rocking away.
My mind drifted off to the foreign lands…different cultures, different languages, different smells, different food, different communities, different activities, and so on…it’s a place I go often. And I wonder what it means; my fascination with foreign places. I have the desire to travel, to see the world. I’m sure Jen would quickly tell me that God is calling me to the missions field But I know that at this point in my life I am here, we are Oregonians…my mission is (and always has been) to give my children roots. Once our roots are firmly planted here in the NW, I have no doubt that our families branches will reach different continents, different cultures, and meet different people. From the day that I accepted Jesus as my savior I have felt the need to see the world and share His word…a few weeks at a time. I am confident that our day will come. We will learn, we will grow, and we will travel together, our little family of five.
Until then…I will do laundry and dishes, I will vacuum, I will scrub, I will mop, I will sort and fold, I will tidy and organize, I will teach, I will love. So, off into my own personal little mission field I go!
5 Comments
July 22, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I have to say, after traveling on our own country for 2 weeks, there is SO much beauty and SO much to see all around us…that I realized I take advantage of. Brian and I now know that our own backyard is just as wonderful as a European village (and much cheaper
) But, traveling is always a thrill…WHEREVER you chose to go
July 23, 2008 at 12:56 am
One thing I learned in past bible studies is this: We are all called to be teachers of Jesus. Some will travel to far away places, some to places near by and some will teach starting in their very own home.
July 23, 2008 at 1:21 am
Thanks Jod…I think we will start with the near by and very own home kind of teaching and work our way up to the far away places!
July 23, 2008 at 10:23 pm
You have come so far in the 10 years we have known you. The Lord’s love shines through you wherever you are. You are right where you should be. Nuturing your children is definitely a high calling. There will be plenty of time for an expanded view of service. I look back with great fondness on the years of child rearing as some of the best times of my life.
We love you so much. See you this weekend
August 8, 2008 at 4:47 am
You are right. You have an awesome mission right there in your home. This is where God has placed you with a beautiful family here in the NW. We are glad you’re here!! God has you right where He wants you. Hey, it sounds like we’ll be having the women’s retreat at Crestview. Cool.