I found this on themarathonmom.com (a wonderful blog). While I do think a grain of salt should be added to the following quote, I still like it. God is a God of order and obviously order, cleanliness, teaching our children how to work hard and be thorough are good things. I know the author of the blog agrees with those things as well. I think the quote points to balance in those areas.
“I am sadly concerned that thousands of mothers are so over-burdened that the actual demands of life from day to day consume all their time and strength. But of two evils, choose the lesser: which would you call the lesser–an unpolished stove or an untaught boy? Dirty windows, or a child whose confidence you have failed to gain? Cobwebs in the corner, or a son over whose soul a crust has formed, so strong that you despair of melting it with your hot tears and fervent prayers?
I have seen a woman who was absolutely ignorant of her children’s habits of thought, who never felt that she could spare a half-hour to read or talk with them–I have seen this woman spend ten minutes in ironing a sheet, or forty minutes icing a cake for tea, because company was expected.
When the mother, a good orthodox Christian, shall appear before the Great White Throne to be judged for the “deeds done in the body,” and to give her report of the master’s treasures placed in her care, there will be questions and answers like these:
“Where are the boys and girls I gave thee?”
“Lord, I was busy keeping my house clean and in order, and my children wandered away.”
“Where wert thou while thy sons and thy daughters were learning lessons of dishonesty, malice and impurity?”
“Lord, I was polishing furniture and making beautiful rugs.”
“What hast thou to show for thy life’s work?”
“The tidiest house, Lord, and the best starching and ironing in all our neighborhood!”
Oh these children, these children! The restless eager boys and girls whom we love more than our lives! Shall we devote our time and strength to that which perishes while the rich garden of our child’s soul lies neglected, with foul weeds choking out all worthy and beautiful growths? Fleeting indeed, O mother, are the days of childhood, and speckless windows, snowy linen, the consciousness that everything about the house is faultlessly bright and clean will be poor comfort in that day wherein we shall discover that our poor boy’s feet have chosen the path that shall take him out of the way to all eternity.”
–Author Unknown
*The picture of Cameron is of Derrick "stealing away" on a daddy/son day with him.
Some real live pictures of messes around here.
Bella holding a book that will break your heart on this topic.
Me reading a book to Cameron.
A day we stepped away from schoolwork to go on a neat tour of an underground tunnel.
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