Cracker crumbs and apple bits stick to the bottom of my feet, I crush a Cheerio. I sigh a depthless sigh, then step over to the fridge to get some cold water. As I do, my foot encounters a very sticky spot where juice had been spilled earlier.
I quickly look around the kitchen.
Dishes are piled high and spilling over onto the counters, pots and pans cover the stove, and the table still holds the contents of dinner that the kids didn't finish. Not feeling even the slightest ounce of desire to clean anything, I simply turn the light off and leave.
The day before I hadn't been able to get off the couch all day, my morning sickness had been exceptionally horrible. Today, I felt so very tired I actually cried and I dozed most of the hours away. Now, as I look around the apartment, I can see the effects of my neglect.
As I pick my way through the toys and clothes that are strewn throughout the living room and the hallway, I wonder if I will ever have a clean house again.
I stop outside the kids' door. Slowly, carefully, I open it so I don't wake them up. I always check on them before I go to bed to make sure they are covered up, or to pick out any toys they had managed to pull into their beds. Sometimes I have to pick up Savannah off the floor.
As I go in my eyes slowly adjust to the dim light and when they do, I get just a little taste of heaven. For the second night in a row, I happen upon this cute picture. Savannah and Joseph had been playing long past bedtime and there they were, comfortably sleeping next to each other, not at all bothered by each other's presence.
A smile slowly steals across my face and the mess around me fades away. In that one small moment, I know everything will be okay and that it is all worth it.
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guest post by Serene of Serene is my Name, Not my Life!
Photo by Gugacurado
