Ok, so the last post was a little in depth. Serious. The short version is we need to consciously name the things for which we are thankful. They are all gifts from God to us. It helps put things in perspective about how good God is to us. Always. Here's how that process went for me one day last week:
As usual, I was doing some laundry. I had taken a load of laundry out of the dryer which I thought was dry, but noticed some of it was a little damp. I left the damp stuff in the dryer to re-dry and put the dry clothes in a basket when I started to notice a particular smell. A smell I know. A smell of cat urine. Well, the litter box is next to the dryer, so in vain I hoped that kitty just had a particularly smelly day.
Nope. Upon further investigation...he had peed. IN. THE. DRYER. On CLEAN clothes!?! That's about a 12 on the 1 to 10 disgust-o-meter. And so I started the clean up process. I swore under my breath. Grumble, grumble. General nastiness radiated from me. Put the clothes back in the washer. Grumble. Sit and figure out just how I am supposed to clean and sanitize the inside of my dryer. Grumble. Gag. Clean dryer. Bleach the heck out of the clothes. Glare at cat. Gag. Grumble. Stomp upstairs and check on kid happily playing. Grumble. Jump into shower to attempt to wash the smell from memory.
As I was standing under near boiling water, I finally took a deep breath. Wasn't I supposed to be thankful and content in all situations? I sighed and looked up at the bathroom ceiling that needs a paint job. "God, WHAT in the world is there to be thankful about in this????"
So I grudgingly starting making a mental list.
1. I have a dryer that works and dries our clothes.
2. We have clothes.
3. I had a good supply of detergent and bleach and didn't have to make an extra trip to the store on a rainy day.
4. It was a load of mostly towels, socks, and t-shirts that COULD be bleached.
5. Josh the peeing cat was a birthday present to Frank and the cat makes him happy.
6. We had the money to get Josh and rescue him from the humane society.
7. I have a sensitive nose and caught this before my kids went to school smelling like cat pee.
8. At least I didn't close the dryer with the cat in it.
9. At least it wasn't the dog.
10. At least is wasn't a kid.
At this point I was laughing out loud in the shower and the list went unfinished. And I marveled that instead of grumbling, I was now giggling and realizing just how ridiculous the whole thing was and how fortunate we are to even be in the position to have this happen! First world problem.
I know that all situations are not this easy to laugh at. Oh, believe me. I know. But there is always something to thank God for. If nothing else amid your dark days, you are reading this. Alive and breathing. In your own language. On a device that was merely science fiction a few decades ago.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
So...um...thanks, God, for cat pee.
6 comments:
For the record, I actually HAVE turned the dryer on with the cat in there, but he survived. You might want to close the dryer in the future. Just a thought. How great that you can be thankful even in that circumstance. I'm grateful that my cat is too old and blind to find the dryer, let alone pee in it.
Hilarious! -and profound at the same time.
I made a new family rule: Keep dryer closed.
Actually, at that point, I might have rejoiced if I'd run the cat through the dryer.
Not a spiritual comment, I know. Maybe I need to practice gratitude a little more?
Hugs. And hoping your next surprises are happy ones.
Fun, well-written post and a good reminder to be thankful!
Thanks, Beth, for sharing - and for adding laughter to the morning! :)
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