Week 1 3/7

Quote of the Week:

People wonder what we do for our women. I’ll tell you what we do. We get out of their way and look with wonder at what they’re accomplishing -Gordon B. Hinckley

http://www.ldswomenofgod.com/blog/?page_id=11

Mike and I have lived in our neighborhood for five years next month. Not a day goes by where we don't love it. Sometimes we take it for granted, sometimes it makes us sick to our stomachs to calculate just how upside down we are in our house, but overall it is an amazing and a truly unique neighborhood. When we sit back and think on it and especially when we talk to others who live elsewhere, we are quickly reminded of just how grateful we should be.
Thus far, being on bed rest has been a good experience as we have seen friends and neighbors of all ages step up and want to help. We've had amazing meals brought in, treats and goodies, child care, and most recently, six women came and scrubbed our house from top to bottom. The first was Mike's wonderful Mother who came in and did all the dirty work that I will only let family do-- our underwear. She washed loads of nasty laundry then put it away. She washed our dishes and took care of the boys. An hour later, five more women came (with lunch) and continued to scrub and scour, including doing things that I have never done in this house, such as scrubbing the guest bathroom. Furthermore, James missed the toilet while they were here and they cleaned up both his pee and "pee pee clothes." Daniel spilled salad dressing all over the carpet and one woman went home to get her carpet cleaner to spot clean it.
I now feel like I am staying in a hotel, as there are clean sheets on my bed and clean linens in the bathroom. I even took my second bath in this house in a freshly scrubbed tub that previously had a film of boy boogers and grime, as it is also the boys' tub. These amazing women dusted, did more laundry, vacuumed all the carpet, changed Daniel's poopy diaper, moved furniture for more thorough cleaning, scrubbed our filthy toilets and shower walls, sanitized my kitchen, washed the floors, and I don't even know what else.
As a side note and bit of information, all of these women are over 50 and most of them have someone else come in to clean their homes on a regular basis.
Oh ya, and where were my boys during the majority of this? In the care of a neighbor who took them to a park, fed them lunch, and played with them.
Again, I am humbled at the loving sacrifices these friends are making for my family and it makes me question how willing I am to do the same. As much as I hate being the "Princess" as I now so lovingly call myself, I feel lucky to be surrounded, pampered, and taught by some of our Heavenly Father's best. These experienced and impressive women are mentoring and teaching me how to respectfully enter a house and to thoroughly take care of the needs at hand. I just hope that I can remember these acts of generousity of time and self, then attempt to repay by giving back to others in the ways they would most benefit.