Reflections on Laundry, Europe, and Giving Thanks!
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
Mother Teresa
Do you have a favorite household chore?
Mine is laundry. I know some of you are going “Ugh!” You hate doing laundry! In many ways it is a never-ending and thankless task, but for some bizarre reason, I enjoy washdays.
Finding satisfaction in doing laundry may be trapped in my DNA. To help provide for her family during post-depression years, my maternal grandmother built a flourishing home laundry business.
Perhaps another reason I enjoy doing laundry is because of my husband’s response. During our 44 years of marriage, Ron consistently has shown appreciation for me doing his laundry. Each week, as he puts away stacks of freshly laundered and folded t-shirts, jeans, underwear, and socks, I can count on him saying, “Thanks for doing my laundry. I appreciate it.” Like the words “I love you,” expressions of appreciation never get old.
While in Italy, we spent a week in a timeshare apartment. We have stayed in many time shares in the United States, and a nice amenity in most is a washer and dryer. In Assisi, however, the apartment amenity was a drying rack. Before leaving, Ron purchased handy laundry detergent sheets on Amazon, and I did multiple loads of wash in the deep kitchen sink, sloshing color-coded loads up and down perhaps like my grandmother had done many years earlier. Each load was rinsed at least twice. Ron helped wring water out of larger items before we carried them outside to our little patio to hang on the drying racks. I’m sure I would have started longing for my nice washer and dryer in Coeur d’Alene before long, but for one week, the Italian laundry ritual felt fulfilling!
Riding the Eurail, we passed through many smaller European towns, and oftentimes, observed laundry hanging from lines strung in front of apartment windows. After spotting several of these scenes, I asked Ron to take some “laundry” photos. One of these days, one will hang in our laundry room!
Homey laundry scenes remind me that beauty is not only found in a well-manicured garden or magnificent cathedral. Sometimes, even the everyday becomes exquisite when done with great love and received with sincere thanksgiving.
Blessings as each of us considers ways love and gratitude can help us find new meaning in our mundane chores,
