Yesterday, I learned of the deaths of two people. One was Joey’s 15-year-old student who died in an automobile accident. The other was a fellow Mother of Many Young Siblings, who, though younger than I, had the same number and age-range of children as I have.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear of someone’s death is whether the person knows Jesus and will be spending eternity with Him. (And, I believe, the answer is, “Yes,” for both of these people.) Then, I think of (and pray for) their grieving families.
And after that, I start contemplating life.
What does all of this have to do with Flylady? Well, before Flylady, I, in my contemplation, probably would have reached some conclusion about the futility of spending any time at all on homemaking chores when life on this earth is so short. I would have reminded myself how building relationships is far more important than any laundry or dish-washing or mopping. I would have then plopped down in the middle of CHAOS and gathered my family around me and read a book or played a game or watched a video with them.
But, now that I have been Flywashed, I fully realize that Flylady’s routines truly free me to spend time building relationships. Let’s face it, as long as we are here in this earthly life, there will be laundry to do and dishes to wash and floors to mop. When I complete these tasks in a somewhat methodical, routine fashion, I end up having more time to spend with the kids and Joey building relationships.
Look at the built-in Date Night and Family Fun components of Flylady’s routines! Those are relationship-building times that come around every week. I can participate in them whole-heartedly, guilt-free, without distraction, because the house is NOT in CHAOS. There are no chores “hanging over my head.” And, on a daily basis, I have time in our routine to read books and play games in a tidy, relaxing atmosphere. I do not have to try to ignore the state of the laundry or dishes or floors while I’m reading or playing games. And, last night, Joey and I plopped down in the middle of our tidy living room, gathered our family around us, and held our annual fall viewing of “You’ve Got Mail.”
Life on this earth is short. I’m grateful that I can spend even more time building relationship with those around me, thanks to Flylady’s routines.
Tags: death, relationships, You've Got Mail
365 Days with Flylady 
October 23, 2009 at 9:19 am |
What can I say, but, “I love you!”
October 23, 2009 at 9:22 am |
And I love you!