Sunday, March 8, 2009

Story Time

Yup, I have a story for ya.
I cried today. I walked into the kitchen to pour the cereal for the kids and I put down the bowls on a grainy feeling counter. I lifted them to find a pile of protein shake powder poured on the counter as I do every morning. Donnie leaves for work early and always pours protein powder into a baggie to take to work with him and I always get a counter that is fit for tap dancing.

So instead of rolling my eyes and wiping the counter, the tears started and a story I read came to me. It is a story of an elderly married couple who started relearning how to love each other after the children had grown and moved away. One thing that bugged the wife so badly was splattered toothpaste on the mirror that she had to wipe off every morning. She complained to her husband about it everyday and it never resolved itself. As life passed, her husband passed away. She came home and wiped the toothpaste off for the last time. The next day, she brushed her teeth noticing for the first time that she was splattering the toothpaste on the mirror as well. She wished that she had not cared so much about the toothpaste and more about the fact that he was there to make it with her. She had never thought that she was making messes as well. How hard would it be to brush her teeth everyday and see the mess she made and remember all the times she yelled at him to stop. She had missed out on so many years that she could have been focusing on being happy that he was there to spend her life with.

So instead of being grumpy about protein shake powder, I was so glad to have my husband here to clean up after. I sat there looking at protein powder, crying happy tears to see it. I hope that I see little messes all over for many many years to come. So Donnie, thank you for leaving shaving hairs near the sink and floor by the trash can. Thank you for leaving little bits of powder on the counter. I wouldn't want it any other way.

8 comments:

Michele M said...

what a sweet story and how true it is. I'm going to make that mental note to remember this story when I come into the kitchen every morning to find the cereal crumbs on the counter!

Staci said...

This is an awesome story. It's a great reminder that it's such a blessing to clean up such messes. :)

Cramber said...

Thanks for posting that..I think we all need reminders every once in awhile to slow down and appreciate what we have :)
Amber L.

Cindy said...

That's a sweet story...and such a lovely reminder of how precious life is. Hope you have a great week. . .I'm looking forward to the day you announce you have a final decree, too :)

Cindy

Tisra said...

That's BEAUTIFUL!

The Family K. said...

Oooh! You got me with that story. What a great wakeup call to pay attention to what really matters.

momwithfaithandhope said...

Thank you for the great reminder that messes from our hubby's are simply daily reminders of our blessings.

Steve n Coco said...

You know, I think about this a lot with my kids, since their evidence is EVERYWHERE. But this is a sweet little reminder about our husbands-- usually, I just get annoyed that I have three kids, not two! Next time, I'll be more grateful when I see chips on the floor around the computer :)