Got Maids?

Have you ever read through Proverbs 31 and noticed a small portion of verse 15...the part that says she feeds her maidens? "She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens". When I reread that again, I said,"A-ha! That's how She did it all!She had maidens!" Wouldn't that be nice? Maids? Not one, but two or more? Are you thinking what I am?

Our old farm house has a back staircase, located by the kitchen, that winds upstairs to a small bedroom. This room can be closed off from the other rooms on that level securing privacy. This was the maid's quarters...maid's quarters? Years ago, a family may have hired a maid, who would live here while she worked for the family.

Well, when we moved into this house, I didn't have need for a maid's room - we didn't have any maids! Or at least I didn't think so. We decided to put the laundry room in the old maid's quarters. It was great being close to the laundry makers - five children can keep one busy in the laundry room and no stairs to climb while carrying loaded baskets is a huge blessing. However, it never dawned on me just how much of a blessing it was until we went to a small western North Dakota museum. There I picked up a handout. It read like this:

Grandma's "Receet for Washing Clothes"

Bild fire in backyard to het kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke won't blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie sope in bilin water.

Sort things. make 3 piles. 1 pile white,1 pile cullord,1 pile werk britches and rags.

stur flour in cool water to smooth. then thin down with bilin water.

rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard. then bile. rub cullord but don't boil. just rench and starch.

take white things out of kettle with broomstick handel, then rench, blew and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spred tee towels on grass.

Pore rench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot sopy water. Turn tubs upside down.

go put on cleen dress, smooth hair with side combs. Brew cup of tee, sit and rock a spell and ...

count your blessings.

So, now if you were to visit my house and take a tour, I'd show you my 'maid's quarters'. Yes, I have two hard working maids - my washer and my dryer! Have I learned a lesson? You bet, instead of coveting the Proverbs 31 gal's maidens when the laundry grows to mountainous proportion and things look bleak. I reread the handout now posted above my washer and dryer and thank the Lord for the 'maids' He has given me. And...I don't have to get up early to feed them!

"...and be content with such things as ye have." - Hebrews 13:5

Have a blessed day,
Lori