Just Start Cleaning and Ask them to Help

I felt depressed because of the state of the house and my desire to can peaches. I was almost unable to feel, think, or do anything. I just got up, barely survived an extremely exhausting day being a homeschooling mom and teaching academics, and went to bed. I told my husband how I feel, expecting him to help relieve me of the pressure and the depression. He did not. He didn’t really know what to say. He said he would help. That was not what I wanted.

I did not know what I did want. I prayed a lot and asked my husband to pray for me. It took introspection and prayer to realize that I was in exactly the state President Monson was wanting me not to be in when he told the parable of the molting hens. I was a hen in a molt. 

When I finally realized this, I decided to just do the housecleaning, no matter how little I would or could get done compared to all the things on my do list. I worked and worked and worked. Heavenly Father helped by softening the hearts of my children. I did not yell at them at all, but politely said, “Will you please…?” for task after task. When they were done with one, I asked them do do the next. Surprisingly, the 2 oldest just kept doing task after task. It was beautiful and my own little miracle. I think that my working alongside them, not depressed or angry, went a long way, and they decided if I was working cheerfully, they could, too. 

My whole attitude about things was different. Instead of focusing on how far behind I was and all that I would not be a le to accomplish, I just did a baby step, then another, then another. I washed the dishes. The kids loaded the dishwasher and ran it. The kids swept and I mopped with the exhuberant help of a toddler and a preschooler (and 3 mops) who love getting wet and playing with the mop water! We all washed the table together, as it needed lots of tlc and extra work scraping. 

This made an amazing difference in my attitude and I am so pleased with how much more positive my attitude is and how much better I feel today. I still have not started canning yet, and who knows when I will get to it. I am going to take one step at a time and we will progress every day.