"The Housekeepers Symphony"
by: Marion Wiley
To do the best that I can, from morn till night.
And pray for added strength with coming light;
To make the family income reach alway,
With some left over for a rainy day;
To do distasteful things with happy face,
To try and keep the odds and ends in place.
To smile instead of frown at Fate,
Which placed me in a family always late
For meals; to do the sewing, mending and
The thousand small things always near at hand,
And do them always with a cheerful heart,
Because in life they seem to be my part;
To know the place of everything and keep
It there, to think, to plan, to cook, to sweep,
To brew, to bake, to answer questions,
To be the mainspring of the family clock.
(Or that effect) and see that no tick, tock
Is out of time or tune, or soon or late,
This is the only symphony which I can ever hope to operate.
~appeared in MARY GOES TO THE FARM by Edith Thomas, 1915.
This housekeeper has been busy at home.
Meal Planning - that includes new recipes for the Fall and Winter months.
Started homeschooling the last child at home.
Redecorated the living room and bedroom - made curtains & pillows, etc.
Did inventory on my baking supplies. Got the new list ready and marking things off as I gather them.
Making meals for new moms. I really enjoy this part!
There's so much that a housekeeper can do around her home. I have made a choice to be busy at home and not get distracted. I don't want to be a housekeeper who appears to be physically in the home, but her heart and mind are somewhere else. I've striving to be like her...
"She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness."
~Proverbs 31:27
I love it! This is a very accurate description of what a homemaker does. It's more than cooking and cleaning.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, so encouraging! I'm a young(ish) homemaker with two small children 3 and 5 months and I only read your blog and one other regularly. The bread of idleness was the main course for me for so long. Thankfully the LORD has freed me from that. Reading all that you are doing helps to inspire me and give me ideas of what to do as well. I wish I had a woman like you in real life to emulate, but I am so glad you are here in blog land. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the same although we haven't started school yet.
ReplyDelete@Homeschoolershaven that's exactly what I thought when I read it. I love it too!
ReplyDelete@TMichelle you always bless me with such encouraging comments. I think we've all struggled with idleness. I see God's mercy and grace on my life when I'm confronted with idleness.
I wish we lived close by ;)
@SOH I know you've been busy. You have so many things going on around you. I love how you manage everything going on around you :)
What a lovely poem and it's so encouraging to see other homemakers busy at home, truly dedicated to doing their keeping at home, and also realizing that the distractions are many. We have to make that choice to be busy at home, though!
ReplyDelete@Lady Violet I'm always encouraged when I see other homemakers as well. You are so right about it being a choice to be busy at home :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this poem...I love it!
ReplyDelete"I don't want to be a housekeeper who appears to be physically in the home, but her heart and mind are somewhere else." AMEN! I had SUCH an awesome time away last week with my family and my mind and heart was where it needed to be:-) Thanks for sharing sweet friend!
ReplyDeleteBtw you are doing awesome! I love your apron:) I wish I could visit your home and chat with you..:)
ReplyDelete@Rebecca I would love for you to visit me someday. Thanks for stopping by :)
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