I’m sure we’re the only house that does this, but there’s a coat that has sat in the bottom of our dirty clothes hamper for months now.  It’s a heavier coat, the kind you wear when it’s 26 degrees outside.  It’s sat there because, until now, it hasn’t been cold enough to need it and there never seems to be enough room in the washer for it with everything else.  Just keep that and the fact that I clean when I’m bummed tucked away while you read…

It had been one of those days that just seemed to be continuously full of unexpected news.  With each new “announcement” came the need to either regroup plans, take on more stuff, or ended with more time away from each other.  And it all seemed to come in the midst of a very unfabulous (that’s right, I use made up words here) day in the office.  And maybe I just have holiday-itis (which is kind of like Senior-itis that you get your senior year in school), but I didn’t really want to accept reality today.  I just really wanted things to go my way and start decorating for Christmas.  (And no, I don’t have anything at all against Thanksgiving.  I’m just reeeaaallllllyyyy thankful for Christmas.)

I walked into the house after working late and made my way up the stairs to our room.  I got a grumble from our kid when I mustered the hello.  She’s not really feeling me today, which is probably a good thing because I’m not really feeling the world today.  I change clothes and head back down to the kitchen to see what I can do to help with dinner and kiss my busy husband.  He tells me how he’s gotten a text that says he should probably make plans to be at the Christmas party, which is the same day I want him out of town with me.  Win number two tonight.  (Note the sarcasm.)

I quietly get up and head down the stairs and begin dealing with laundry.  I like to take on laundry when I’m feeling not in control of other things and/or sort of down. Right now, it’s both.  The thing about laundry is that it’s a task that’s always available for me to take on.  It seems to never end.  I can control it and I like the end result.

So, I did laundry.  Lots and lots of laundry.  I washed, folded, hung to dry…

And, I prayed that God would teach me to let go of the planning.  And if you’ve been following my blog for a while or just know me or just know that you’re a planner too… then you understand just how painful of a prayer that is for me.  I’m all out of tears these days though.   So, the pain was shown in pure silence.  And, I wrestled with what big change must be coming our way because I’m having to re-learn this notion that God is not surprised by anything and that I need to just be content in His sovereignty.  And I lived silently that night until even that jacket had been washed.