Laundry Treasures

I've been doing laundry for easily thirty years. The only daughter of a family of five, growing up on a dairy farm, I was always expected to help with household chores, and there was never a shortage of laundry. As a mom of four, again, laundry was never an option. Powder, liquid, pods, bleach, fabric softener - I wonder how much money I've spent in my life in the pursuit of clean clothes. Add in all the laundry associated with owning a diner, and my mind boggles! 

Today, I stepped on a sharp object near the washing machine and, of course, mumbled a curse or two before realizing the sharp object was a broken nail from my youngest daughter, who still occasionally frequents my laundry facilities. I picked it up and fought back tears, not from the pain but from the silence of a near-empty house. I can't tell you how many times over my lifetime when I wanted silence. Whether it be fighting with my brothers, screaming children, blaring Taylor Swift, or my beeping alarm clock, there were so many times when I just wanted a minute or two alone, a second or two of uninterrupted silence. 

I stared at the broken nail as memories flooded me. Family camping trips, road trips, countless meals, holidays, school concerts, dances, ball games - LIFE. It seems that in the blink of an eye, my children are grown. They are getting married, traveling the country, having kids and pets; they are thriving! If I step on a jagged nail or two and smile at the memory of these children who now can't seem to clean out their pockets (last week it was a black pen!) I consider myself blessed. I am blessed!