Gratitude
Something To Ponder

It was a very busy day around our Home Place today. After doing all of my morning tasks I decided to sit down and take a little break. As I was sitting in my chair it suddenly dawned on me that there was a lot of "noise" going on in my house. I looked around and finally realized the source. Once I did I had one of those "Aha" moments and then felt somewhat ashamed for not noticing it before. So, what was the source of the noise? Well, let's see . . . . . The dishwasher was on and was cleaning our dishes so they will sparkle and shine. The bread maker was humming along preparing the dough for tonight's stromboli and tomorrow's rolls. The oven was on and the timer started beeping, alerting me to the fact that the gingerbread was ready to come out of the oven. From the laundry room I could hear the washer starting on the rinse cycle, and the dryer was working merrily away drying my family's clothes!

I then began to think of my ancestors who didn't have all of these wonderful modern conveniences. They worked so much harder than I have ever had to, putting in long hours and doing a lot of back breaking work. I have pictures of my great grandmother and in them I noticed her calloused hands. Grammy told me that in order to make a little money to keep food on the table her mother would take in washing that belonged to all the bachelors in town. She talked about how she struggled and toiled to clean their clothing and how it was so hard because living in North Dakota where it was so cold, in order to keep warm they all had heavy long underwear, thick socks, heavy shirts, etc.. that she had to wash, ring, hang and iron.

My great grandmother's hands worked so diligently to make a nice home for her family. Her hands although worn and calloused, were always there ready to hold her child's hand, bake a pie for a neighbor, tend to a sick loved one, make a quilt from old scraps, fashion a rag rug, churn butter, bake bread, along with many, many other tasks that she did everyday. At night, sitting in her chair with the candlelight glowing those same hands were used to turn the pages of a well worn and well loved bible. I'm sure that it was within these pages she found the source of strength and courage that enabled her to face each day.

This "Aha" moment was really a profound one for me. From now on I will try and remember how blessed I am to have all of these wonderful modern conveniences at my fingertips. As I look down at my polished, manicured fingers I will remember my great grandmother's calloused, work worn hands. I will remember how blessed I am and I will have a heart filled with gratitude.