Irish Lace

I always feel more at peace with my home when everything is in its place and I can see my floors.  And when my children have clean clothes neatly put away in their drawers.  And when my kitchen table and floors are clean.  And when I have a shiny sink, emptied of dirty dishes.  And when the mirrors and windows are smudge-free.

But I just don't have the time to do it all.  I cannot have a perfect house.  I don't have perfect children.  My kids are not rocket scientists.  I can't even get all the dishes clean.  And don't even ask about dusting.

But I'm trying!!!

And, believe it or not, I don't feel like a failure.

Do you recall Dory from Finding Nemo singing, "Just keep swim-ming, just keep swim-ming, swim-ming, swim-ming?"  This is one of my mottos.    

Attitude makes a big difference in one's perspective on life, and work, and everything else.

We can be lost in work, buried in housework, or up to our eyeballs with diapers and runny noses.  But we can keep swimming.  How do I know?

The very first Bible verse I memorized was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)  My dad and I practiced it, turned it into a jazzy little song, and by golly - I remembered it!  Still do to this day.

It doesn't say "I can do all things perfectly," nor does it say, "I can do things the way I want to."
No, it says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

I need to acknowledge I can't do it on my own.
I need to ask God for help,
and when he gives it,
I need to accept His help gratefully.

With that in mind, I also realize that my desire for a clean house or perfect children really doesn't matter that much. 

What matters is the people in my life, how I treat them, how I affect them, how I lead them or humble myself before them.

Last summer, while talking with a couple whose children are now adults, I was advised to "Enjoy the children, and the Irish lace."   

They explained it to me this way:

Irish lace is another name for the dust that gathers on everything, like lace, because it's crafted over time while you're been busy spending time with your children. 

I really like that analogy.  I need to spend time on what is most important now - my family.

I'll get to the housework another year.  I'm going to enjoy the Irish lace.  

It's kind of pretty, especially when you know how it was made.