Another good day on the mish

(Unrelated photo that I love: at the top of the chair lift at Sundance, UT)

I was just wiping the kitchen table for at least the 8th time today, when I thought about something my sister, Liz, has written about. How much time do I spend every day wiping something? (A table, a floor, a face, a bum.) And today--glory be--I just smiled at the thought of it.

I think because this week I am a new woman (did you read Sunday's post?). And I am remembering every day that wiping things is just a part of this glorious job we call motherhood.

I've written before about making mothering my mission. This afternoon I was out sweeping dirt from the street back onto our property--dirt and rocks that Blaine had thrown while I was inside checking on the cookies. The darling elders rode by on their bikes and Elder Huber offered a trade of sweeping for some water. I happily took him up on the offer, and threw in a peanut butter chocolate chipper for free. They thanked me for the water, told me about meeting some of my neighbors, and rode off just as cheerfully as they had arrived.

I thought about them while I was wiping the table just now. When you're on a mission, there is a LOT of monotony. There is a lot of work that seems fruitless. You knock on a lot of doors with no one behind them. But when there is someone there and he says, "Mormons? I'm your guy! Come on in!" (that is a direct quote, even ask my companion, Melody Coleman Odell!) your heart leaps and you know you would be willing to knock a million more doors just to get that response again.

And I will wipe my table a million more times to snuggle with Blaine like we did in my bed this morning or watch Rog triumphantly build a tower with blocks and then congratulate himself with a grin and round of applause. Seriously. A million more times.

p.s. Did you watch Nie on Oprah yesterday? She continues to inspire.
p.p.s. Along these same lines, we are getting some wonderful photo contest entries over at Bloom. Please send us your photos! This is going to be such a beautiful and inspiring compilation of photos!