There's a laptop under my table, it's true. It was left there by the two little boys who made the tent. They snuggled under it, as brothers sometimes do, to watch a movie together. There are blankets left over from the tent, folded now, and laid neatly across the back of a chair--not put away but, waiting there, just in case another tent needs to be built.
There are sippy cups and bottles adorning the bottom of the sink and Valentine treats lining the countertops. A thick layer of dust covers the piano top where at least a dozen family photos peek from behind one another reminding us of loved ones here and gone. There's a lego guy stuck in that piano and half a dozen science boards tucked in behind it. There are clothes on the stairs waiting to be put away and a stack of miniature clothing to be washed.
There are coffee, yogurt and cocoa stains on nearly every available surface--the latest one happened when the baby reached up to hug me and knocked my cup sideways!
Dotted around the house are little love notes, Bible verses and books on everything from Spiderman to parenting to quilting and beyond. Vegetable seeds and pots sit atop the table waiting to be started. A Bible lays open where our oldest boy last finished reading... Jonah and the whale.
Sucker sticks and Valentines, candy wrappers and Star Wars guys, boots, coats, hats and helmets.
At the end of the day, I'm picking up. I'm putting things away where they belong--oh, but not everything! Never!! You see, the sucker stick reminds me of a little boy who curled up in bed with me but didn't want to leave the comfort he found there. The Bible reminds me of a little guy who, although is often sidetracked, strives after God. Headphones and glue sticks, hair spray and soda cans are all reminders of the "artist in residence". Baby dolls tucked in under a blanket, a big fat cat asleep in the rocker. Names carved into the table and a myriad of artifacts and tomes remind me that I'm home. My family lives here! What joy!
Yeah, I put away a lot of things but, i would never choose to put it all away. I love the evidence of a life lived and a life lived fully.
So, yes, there's still a laptop under my table--just in case! Just in case two brothers want to love being together again.
Someone will clean my house when I'm gone. Maybe then it will all get put away. Until then, I'm happy with all of the reminders that my family is bigger to me than a well cleaned home.
