March 24, 2009 7:26 AM
Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room
Checking my books at Amazon, I see that there are copies of Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room available for as little as 2.91. Of course, Amazon charges shipping for used books, but still. . .
No copies of any of my books at Paperback Swap. You can find them in many libraries, but if not in yours, you can always ask your librarian to order them.
The thing I like about LPMMLR is that it's simple, direct and easy to read. In case you've wondered what it's like, here's the introduction:
Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry RoomWhat drives a mother to pick up a book about mothering? I mean, it's not like we have a lot of time to read. If you're like me, then it might be the vague feeling that since we've got questions - how do we find more patience/organization/discipline/happiness - someone must have the answers.
And judging from the titles of parenting books, lots of people do - conveniently distilled into seven steps or fifty ways. Some even claim to have the inside track on how God wants this parenting thing done.
Some books which promise to make life with children easier actually end up making it worse. After reading them we feel burdened and guilty because the ideas are easier said than done. We're always measuring ourselves and so often falling short.
This book isn't about that at all. This book is about spending some time together sorting through the things that get in the way of finding joy in motherhood. It's about getting real about the past and mistakes we've made, the limitations of our lifestyle as mothers, the competitive spirit that robs us of intimacy with other mothers, and the lack of affirmation that sometimes makes us want to cry.
This is a book about seizing each day, squeezing every bit of joy from every peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared moment, finding God in the hum of a washing machine or an unexpected bargain. It's about learning to believe that the stock market, the international situation, the Fortune 500 are really inconsequential next to the work we do - in God's eyes, at least. And, after all, that's what really counts.
Motherhood turns out to be where it's happening, after all.
God sees it all. He sees our daily struggles as mothers - physical, emotional, spiritual - and He waits for us to cast our cares upon Him. He says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
I believe this in my bones. I believe it because as a mother of 12, I live it each day, and have for some time. But I believe it too because my life took some unusual and crazy twists and turns before I found the straight and narrow. And my relationship with God once I found Him - already well on my way to being a megamom - turned out to be as real and vital as the gravitational force which keeps me from spinning away into space.
This is really the story of the interplay between my motherhood and my faith, because I believe that without my children, I couldn't have learned the things I've learned. And without my faith, I'd have been too busy conforming to others' expectations to learn to be the mother God wanted me to be.
Every mother finding the time to read this - in between laundry and lunches, diapers and dinners - is in the midst of her own spiritual journey. My dream - the dream which keeps me at my keyboard when I'd rather take a nap, the dream that wakes me up at night to write down things I need to say - is that you will find the hope and the glory in your motherhood as I found in mine.
My God bless and keep you - though all the trials and smiles of motherhood - and through them draw you nearer to Him each day!
Barbara Curtis
Posted in Inspiration | Permalink
Comments
Barbara, for the past few months I've been leading my group of 25 or so moms through this book...it's been a tremendous blessing and I hope your readers who aren't familiar with it will grab a copy wherever they can and read and absorb its beautiful perspective. Thank you!
Posted by: Cathi | March 25, 2009 3:36 PM
This is a great book. I bought it a bit over a year ago.
Thanks
Posted by: Beth | March 25, 2009 8:05 PM
