When my husband and I looked at what was to become our first home, I noticed something unusual in the dungeon of a basement. The owner had a small shelf mounted above her washer and on it was a simple wooden statue of Mary, kneeling in what seemed to be a position of servitude. I cannot quite describe it, but it really struck me. There was something about the simplicity of it. I had never seen a statue that really captured Mary in such humility and grace. When I asked the owner about it, she told me that she put it there to remind herself that she served her family in the many menial tasks of her day, just like Mary. It made a deep impression on me and I never completely forgot about it. After we moved in that shelf remained empty. It always seemed as if something was missing. I'm not sure why, but in all the years we lived there, I never got around to putting a statue there. I did think often of her words and when the never-ending tasks of motherhood got me down, I would try to remember to pray for my family. Somehow offering a quick prayer for those whose daily activities made these clothes so dirty helped me to get through it all.

As a mother of three boys I spend an awful lot of time in my laundry room. God has blessed us with another house and a much nicer laundry room (doesn't this make all the difference in the world). I actually have pictures on the walls, and a plant on the shelf. I even have a picture of my family on the dryer to remind myself why I spend so many hours in that room. I try to offer a prayer for them each time I see it. But it still seems to me that something is still missing. I wish I'd thought to ask the owner of our first home where she got that beautiful statue.

For more thoughts on family, laundry and how to find joy in the menial tasks of everyday life, go here. With five boys at her house, she ought to know a thing or two!