Dishes

Written after avoiding the dishes for two days then realizing they simply wouldn't go away until I washed them.

When I was little I didn't realize how dishes can just pile up and up and up...Why my Mom would sigh when she looked at the neat but towering stack that we placed one after another thoughtlessly. I remember night after night--many of them late, she would pull on her yellow rubber gloves and begin rinsing and then loading and arranging each dish into the washer. I'd walk right up to her, often catching her during a hushed prayer, give my love and a small hug before heading off to bed.

She once told me that one of her best times to pray was while she did those mundane dishes.

Just the sound of the running water and an occasional chink! of utensils, the rest of the house was usually silent. She'd breathe in peace and now I can understand just a little better why.

It wasn't until my Junior year that I began to take over that job, doing it consistently. Sometimes I'd feel like I was stealing that time of hers to pray by doing it, but now I see that I was just being trained to do the same.

There is a calmness that overtakes me while the dirt of the day is being washed away. I take pleasure in seeing the dish become sparkling and new. At the end of the day, it really is no fun to dread that huge pile, but someone has to do it. And while you do it, you might as well have your mind be active as your hands be productive.

In short, don't waste your time.

Even during the mundane you can still exercise your mind and your faith, how much time do we often waste staring off into space while we wait for the line to end, for the bell to ring, or for something to be done?

It is good to rest (I'm all for it!), but don't get too much--don't get too little either!

Expect a Miracle!

-Liana S.