Clean as a Whistle…

There is something very therapeutic about cleaning your kitchen floor.
No, I am not talking about damp mopping it or just wiping up a couple of spills. I am talking about an all out stripping and waxing of the kitchen floor.

I’m in the process of it right now. So far it has taken me an hour and a half to scrub and strip the floor. I am taking a short break before waxing begins.

I have been thinking about the last week and I realized that tonight was the first time I have actually had some quiet time to reflect on things. When did things get so complicated that I need to wash my floor in order to have a moment for self reflection?

So, what have I been thinking about?

Today is my sister’s birthday. She is thirty-something…

She is also a remarkable woman. She has four children and a husband and she seems to have “it” down pat, from soup to nuts. She is loving, giving, realistic, intelligent and very involved in her family’s life. Did I mention she is funny and pretty too?

When I was a child she used to meet me after my “Brownie” meetings, which met after school, so I didn’t have to take the big kid bus alone. We would pass by the “Snack Shack”, (a pickup truck with a little house on it selling all kinds of sugary goodness) and my sister would pull out a quarter and buy me a big sweetart! I used to lick that piece of candy as if I would never have another ever again. She protected me and listened to me. That was quite a challenge because I was a really annoying kiddo.

It has been the same ever since. My big sis still looks out for me. She tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. She is a wonderful role model of motherhood and generosity of self to others. She volunteers and knows what is going on in her children’s life. She can speak about politics and faith with ease and can entertain 60 guests while making it look so easy.

So, it is my sister Jennifer whom I have been thinking about while I am scrubbing my floor. I am grateful for her and pray that God blesses her with continued happiness and health.

I am also grateful for my time of reflection tonight. Granted, I would much rather have a brand new floor that didn’t require so much darn work… But in the meantime thinking about my big sis has passed the time in a very pleasant way.

I am also grateful for one other thing…that I am not as old as she is…