Doing Your Best

If you are new at homemaking, you don't have to think that everything has to be done perfectly. However, it should be done the very best you can.

An example of this matter being confused, is the following:

A young woman who accepted an invitation to a Tea, enjoyed it so much, that she asked how she could do it, even though she didn't have the experience or the expertise.

In order to put her mind at ease and encourage her to practice hospitality, her hostess told her she didn't have to go to all that trouble, and that just a muffin and a beverage would suffice.

When others attended her luncheon, they were awfully disappointed. Why? Because this woman herself was capable of so much better. She had not bothered to do her very best or to reach for the highest possible point of achievement that she could. She was getting by with as little as she could, and taking the easy way out.

And, why do you suppose people thought she could have done more?

1. She had attended a lot of lunches hosted by others, and had plenty of time to observe.
2.She had the facility of a nice home, and the space and kitchen to do work in.
3.She had other interests which she spent a lot of money on, and knew how to do well.
4.She was of a certain age, beyond childhood, and was not helpless, nor penniless.
5.Her very best was not offered.

The hostess that advised her, certainly did not intend for her to do a lackadaisical job. She was only trying to give her some beginning steps. So, in all that we do, let us do it well and to the best of our ability, using our creative talents.

It is one thing to offer up something when you really have nothing, but if you truly are able to a little more than the basics, a little more than just to get by, or a little more than "necessary," then you should.

In judging your own housekeeping, just do as well as you can in your circumstances. There is no use getting by with a swipe and a sweep at the house, unless you have special problems. We can each put our whole heart and soul into what we do. We are generally much happier when we know we have done our best, and put our full talent into something. People who just do what they can get by with, in anything, will never be completely happy or fulfilled.

That is why I say, when you are homemaking, that you should not just clean something, you should beautify it. Your finished job should send a message. It should say "I love my family enough to provide a place for them that is lovely and comfortable."

It is the same way with what we wear. Intentionally or not, it sends a message.

One of the reasons for good housekeeping is to win others over to your side, and to your way of life. It is a way of speaking without words.

I don't want to imply that housekeeping is the main reason for being at home, or that doing a poor job is a result of laziness, but that our attitude can be detected through the evidence of our work. As stated in a previous article, there will be times when it is impossible to pay attention to details of housekeeping. What I'm saying here is that when you are able, you should do your best. You'll one day be called to account for it, and you are creating memories for your family. You might be surprised years on down the road when someone says they were influenced by your attitude toward your responsibilities.