I wrote and posted this on the old GCM board - thought it was lost forever but just found it again.
Our daily lives as wives and mothers is so challenging. To think that most of us dreamed of a very different lifestyle when we envisioned our SAHM roles...how little we knew! I imagined myself with a perfectly organized home, simmering scrumptious homecooked meals each evening, neatly organized and folded laundry, sparkling floors and tidy closets. What I ended up with was a high-need baby, a dh who works 70 hours a week (I feel too guilty to ask for his help), a mountain of dirty laundry that has recycled on my closet floor for about two years now, and stuff sticking to the bottom of my feet whenever I walk through the kitchen. And my house is neat compared to many others I've visited!
Lately I've been discovering the amazing power of prayer as a homemaker. I learned from the wise mamas on this board that my life role is now a loving ministry - I am raising a family, loving and supporting a hard working husband, and demonstrating a lifestyle to my son who will someday subconsiously seek these qualities in his mate. What do I want to convey to my family? That the floor will always need to be swept, laundry will always be there to be washed, and dishes accumulate each day. That while I do keep up with these things to the best of my ability, I do not place a higher importance on a clean home than I do on spending time with my family. After all, dirty dishes will always be here...my son will not. There are days that I do spend more time cleaning, but I have also learned that we can survive with less sparkle and shine than I used to determine necessary.
My home is still a welcoming haven, but one that also says, "A family lives and loves here."
There is a wonderful Christian mother on the Internet named Laine who sends out a semi-regular newsletter. She has helped to change my heart-attitude as a homemaker. Because of Laine, I rise before the family several mornings each week to spend time sipping a cup of tea with the Lord and His Word. He fills me with a caring attitude and deisre to make my home a nurturing place as part of my ministry as a homemaker. I leave little love notes at place settings. I pray over each family member while folding laundry (a lesson I learned from a dear friend and pastor's wife). I thank the Lord for blessing our family with such abundance as I go from room to room cleaning. I remember those without any fresh water or basics as I scrub our toilets and appliances. The Lord will fill you with an attitude of gratitude, too, if only you ask Him.
Here are some of Layne's Letters that I would like to share with you, and I pray they will inspire and comfort you the way they have affected me.
Wearing Aprons?
http://lainesletters.com/letters/aprons.html
Why I love Homemaking:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/why...omemaking.html
Blessed Discipline - about homemaking and more...
http://lainesletters.com/letters/blesseddiscipline.html
The Light in my house:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/thelightinmyhouse.html
Ministering to little ones:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/min...ittleones.html
Overwhelmed?
http://lainesletters.com/letters/overwhelmed.html
Wake up Time:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/wakeuptime.html
Well stocked pantry:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/awe...kedpantry.html
Willing hands:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/willinghands.html
Working with what you've got:
http://lainesletters.com/letters/wor...hatyougot.html
More Laine's Letters:
http://lainesletters.com/letters.html