Family By Divine Design:: I'm really not insane :)

07 January 2013

I'm really not insane :)

I both 'liked' and shared this on facebook the other day, with the comment, "Ain't it the truth. :)" A friend of mine responded with the following insight: "Sanity is accepting the same results will occur but understanding the value in the process nevertheless."
Which reminds me of a funny story from awhile back. Like a good homemaker I had made some considerable strides in cleaning one day, and naturally, with three children in my home (one a toddler) the state of cleanliness lasted for less than five minutes. Just after my husband arrived home I looked at the disarray around me and growled, "Why do I even bother trying to clean this place!" And he growled back at me, "Well, some people appreciate what you do around here!" The contrast between the tone of his voice and what he actually said caught me off guard and I had to laugh. Score for my husband successfully switching my feelings of discouragement to feelings of effort acknowledged! :)
Back to what my friend said, regarding the 'value in the process': there's a lot of truth to that. Cleaning can be very therapeutic. Eight year-old me would be giving me a very skeptical look as a result of that statement, but it's true. Every time I clean I am aiming for the hoped-for end result (a clean, well-ordered home), but the process is good for me, too. Work is good for us, and anyone who says differently does not have your well-being in mind. I hope to start teaching my children to clean and clean well, soon.
I am a homemaker (a.k.a. domestic goddess). An unenlightened mind might view the tasks of my role -- the cooking, cleaning, laundry, diapering, bathing, etc. -- as mundane. Indeed, there are times when I lose perspective and totally feel that they are. But all of these things are necessary in order to create what I want out of my house: a place where the spirit can dwell. One facet (one of the most important) of my role as a mother is to teach and nurture my children, and it's necessary to have the spirit with me and abiding in my home in order to do that in an inspired way. A dirty, disorderly home is not conducive to having the spirit . . . and that's why I do many of the same things over and over again in my home. I have rarely achieved the state of order and cleanliness that I desire all at once, but aiming for the ideal is best, even if it seems like it will never be reached.

4 comments:

Caranna07 January, 2013 16:21
I needed this post today. I am exhausted and my house is a mess. I thought about enlisting the "help" of my children to get it straightened up before their Dad gets home and thought, "What's the points!?" So, I sat down at the computer instead ;)
Even if the cleanliness doesn't last it's important to teach my children to work - and to keep trying even though we're not perfect and most things are far from "the ideal" as you put it.
You're an awesome lady!
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Deborah07 January, 2013 16:25
I spent a few hours (literally) mopping our floor on Saturday - and as a result the rest of my house is totally a disaster because I didn't have time to get to it. I've been thinking the same things about why do I even bother to do this, so thanks for your thoughts today!

P.S. It's fun reading about your family on here and catching up on your life post-being the coolest RA ever. :)
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The Wisconsin Wheatleys07 January, 2013 19:06
Very well said. Sometimes you have to take pride in the fact that you are willing to sacrifice what you want as an individual in order to provide those you love most with a beautiful and peaceful environment.
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David's Bio

I grew up in southeastern Idaho moving at age one from the center of our town to the outskirts. This home had approximately ten acres and much of my youth was spent outdoors both playing and working with my grandparents on their farms. I enjoyed sports throughout my life and was active in wrestling and football throughout junior high and high school. My junior and senior years at high school a sweet young girl even convinced me to join the ballroom dance team. I graduated from high school and attended BYU where I earned my Bachelors degree in Biology in April 2007. Having been raised in the gospel it has always been an influence in my life.

Rachael's Bio

I lived in south central Idaho on a two-acre property in a three-story home until the fourth grade. We moved to Idaho's capitol where we lived until I was in eighth grade when we moved to south eastern Idaho. This move affected my life greatly. It helped me to gain and solidify my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as helped me decide how accurately I was going to live the gospel. This is also where I met David who was to become my best friend and husband. After graduating from high school in 2001 I attended BYU for four and a half years and graduated with a B.A. in Modern Dance, shortly before giving birth to our first child. Through all of my experiences my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and my dedication to living His gospel with integrity has increased. My greatest desire is that I will be able to help my children live and love the gospel.

Our Love Story

Rachael and David met first in their ward after Rachael moved in at the age of fourteen. Rachael's family had just moved across town to a home more suited to their needs than the original duplex. Both of their families were active in the church and Rachael and David both served in leadership positions of their respective YM/YW groups. With that constant exposure to each other was added the fact that they went to the same high school and were in the same graduating class. They found each other to be attractive and dated each other quite a bit near the end of their senior year and the summer afterward. After his freshman year at BYU David went on a mission to Russia - Rachael wrote him about every month and a half, just as an "interested" friend. Rachael was at home working for the summer when David returned from his mission and immediately felt that she wanted to date him again, so she asked him to go see the Phantom of the Opera in Salt lake City; thereafter followed about six months of courtship before they were married in Logan, Utah. Now they're both "the luckiest."