Loads of laundry

January 9, 2010 – observation – I noticed today that one of my friends posted her favorite moment of the day on her status.  This is the first I’ve seen so far but hopefully it will catch on.  It’s so easy to do and has really made me look at my actions, my choices, my everyday life in a different way.   After a little over a month of this little experiment, I have noticed that most of my favorite moments are with my children and family.  And most of these moments did not cost any money.  So why do I worry about money so much and why do I want more of it when I obviously don’t need it to be happy?

Favorite moment of the day:  getting laundry done!

Laundry is a never-ending cycle at my house.  With two adults and three children living here, we have piles of it everywhere.  Sometimes I wonder why we have so many articles of clothing.  I know we need undergarments, pants and sweaters for cold weather, shorts and tee shirts for warm weather, a jacket and a heavy coat, but at what point does it become excessive?  Did Jesus and the disciples have multiple outfits?  Did they always match their shoes/sandals to their robes? 

Sometimes I think of scaling down all of our wardrobes.  Selfishly, I think of all the money I could save by not purchasing laundry detergents and stain removers as often, lowering my water and electric bills by not running the appliances as often, and all the time I would have to do something more enjoyable than washing clothes.  But I also think of all the people who could benefit from our excess.  It seems we acquire more articles of clothing faster than anything else.  Every time we turn around, one of the children has been given a new tee shirt.  The kids get new shoes but the old ones are not worn out yet.  I want to give back more and acquire less.  Even Jesus told the rich, young ruler to give away all his possessions and follow Him.  That's essentially what we are called to do.