Dirty Socks, Dirty Hearts

Like many Type A Moms, I like to plan ahead.

I like to make lists.

I like to be organized.

I like to remember everything.

I like to plan things that make life not just organized,

but special.

When traveling as a new Mom,

I easily figured out I had to do conquer Mount Washmore

just prior to packing.

Do laundry too soon,

and you have nothing to wear. 

It's all packed.

Do laundry too late,

you're washing when you should be packing.

Doing the laundry first was a no-brainer

in learning how to travel with kids.

All moms do that, even the ones who aren't

 feverish, frantic list-makers-crosser-offers.

But, as a young Mom,

I learned the hard way I was forgetting a major step.

FIND

all the dirty laundry

BEFORE

you finish all the laundry.

The first place you check,

is the dresser drawers.

Yea, I know clean laundry goes in the dresser,

but my kids don't alway get that concept.

Oh, don't forget checking

 between the wall and the bed,

under the bed and 

under the covers.

Check in the closet.

If they're girls, look in all purses, backpacks, boxes

and anything they would pack to travel to Europe

in their wild imaginations.

Look in the toybox, the front hall closet and all vehicles.

The amazing thing about this process is,

that even though you thought you were "caught up" on laundry,

you could find enough to keep you outta' trouble for a long time.

This was one nameless child's dirty laundry stash.

When I completed this process when all six kids were at home,

it became a scavenger hunt.

Not only did I find all the dirty laundry,

I found many other treasures, like

my fingernail clippers,

my scissors,

my ruler,

my stapler,

my library card,

my flashlight,

my water bottle,

my toenail clippers,

my favorite pink fingernail polish,

and

my missing socks.

Only after the Dirty Laundry Scavenger Hunt,

was I really ready to do laundry.

If conquering Mount Washmore

is a beautiful reminder of being washed and made whiter than snow,

doncha' think searching for the dirty laundry

also has spiritual significance?

Psalm 139: 23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

When we dig into God's Word

and apply it to our hearts,

 dirt will be revealed

and treasures will be found.

I found all the dirty laundry,

washed and packed.

Now, I'm searching my heart.

Ya' never know what dirty socks could be lingering

in those dark corners.

**********

Today I'm linking up!

Follow my trail of dirty laundry to

Mom's The Word