Every meal, every snack, every cup of tea or coffee in a thermos adds to the daily pile of dirty dishes. Eating meals out or bringing in take-home doesn’t really change the task much – it’s just the number that varies, not the necessity of doing the work.
Having a dishwasher helps, especially when company comes for a meal or a weekend of meals. Still, there are pots, pans, and delicate glasses that must be done by hand. There are also the other tasks that fall under the “doing the dishes” heading: clearing the table, putting away various condiments and leftovers, wiping down the stove and cupboards, and cleaning out the sink.
Making the daily bread and cleaning up afterward takes time and a willingness to see in the repetitive nature of it all an opportunity for contemplation – or at least the ability to value the result. Because there’s something about a clean sink and a cupboard of dishes ready for the next meal that’s a doorway to something important. Perhaps that’s why doing the dishes before bed ranks up there with making the bed each morning for beginning each day with a sense of peace, order, and hope.
Lord of all pots and pans and things…Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates!
Brother Lawrence
Oh, I love these meditations on daily chores. I can’t tell if I am so devoted to these chores because I’m slightly OCD, or because it’s a spiritual practice, or because my father did the dishes every Sunday and was so methodical about his work.
Then the one about taking down the tree and ornaments—this year I played the same Christmas album taking down that we always play putting up (Robert Shaw’s Festival of Carols). Loved all these meditations, Johnna—and happy birthday too!
Thanks, David! We might as well love the chores, as we have to do them. I love the idea of playing the same music when putting up and taking down the tree – something or next year! Peace, Johnna
I would love to be like you and David and Brother Lawrence. I have a hard time with being patient, wanting to get the work over with. This is a god reminder to “let go and let God.’ Thank you.
Some days are easier than others, aren’t they?