Thankful Thursday: Laundry Lessons

Today’s verse: “For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness. Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.” Isaiah 38:18-19 (NLT)


This is the first day since I started my blog that I have missed writing a prayer, and I thought about it often today. It’s been a crazy busy week. I am just now sitting down for the day, with my feet up and munching on a bowl full of popcorn. All the while contemplating what I’m thankful for on this Thursday.

Laundry has been just one of the items on my busy agenda over the last two days. I have this weird fascination of doing all my laundry in one day, and to not put any of it away until I can see it all, in its entirety, neatly folded on my bed. I find some sense of accomplishment seeing it all in piles, organized by individual family members, and knowing there is not an item of clothing left in the laundry baskets. The discouraging part of this process is that the empty laundry baskets don’t stay empty for very long. What wondrous satisfaction can be found at the end of a laundry day.

This week…the laundry took me TWO days. What? Did everyone where 3 outfits each day this last week?! Besides just lots of clothes, the dryer seemed extra slow. What do I expect after 15 years of good service? I wonder how many loads that dryer has dried in its lifetime in the Redford household. Maybe I don’t really want to know.

So, you’re probably wondering what I'm thankful for today. I had much time to contemplate that question as I folded, folded, and folded more laundry.

• All of my kid’s clothes reminded me to be thankful for their health, and their ability to play sports, go to school, and do things in life that get their clothes dirty.
• I’m thankful for God’s provision to provide for those clothes. A husband who works hard to “bring home the bacon”, and friends who pass along such wonderful hand-me-downs.
• I’m thankful for the washer and dryer that make my work easier, and that they have lasted a good long 15 years, with life still in them.
• I’m thankful for kids who dress modestly and with care and pride.
• And believe it or not, I am thankful for MY health and that I could actually do the laundry. Ha!

I’m sure there’s more, but there’s laundry to be put away! A mother’s job is never done.

Dear Lord, thank you for the reminder my laundry gave me today. So, many things to give you thanks for. Even in the work of providing my family with clean clothes. Thank you for my kid’s health above all. You are the giver of life, of their abilities, and of all our provisions, and I give you praise.