Fingerprints and Mud Splatters

Michelle Fritz - Fingerprints

\"Michelle

In August we celebrated our oldest son’s graduation from high school. You might be wondering why we waited until August to celebrate. Because we homeschool we have the luxury of doing things on our own time. This included our graduation celebration. We wanted to make sure family could travel to be here and that other friends who were graduating or who had children graduating could also attend. It wasn’t a huge party and we didn’t have it at our home, but still, those weeks leading up to his party were frantic for me.

The party itself wasn’t that hard to put together. In fact, as parties go, it was relatively easy. But, I knew that I was going to have extended family staying at our house and that unnerved me quite a bit. We don’t have a very big house and with 13 people living here, well, it gets cramped. Combine that with homeschooling and well, it just gets downright claustrophobic sometimes! Not all of our family members were going to be staying at our home but would just be visiting. Still, I was anxious about how our home would be perceived.

You see, because we have so many people living in our house, especially so many little people, and we are home 24 hours a day 7 days a week, our house has a very lived in look to it. The blinds have missing pieces from children pulling on them to look out the windows. The windows have nose prints and fingerprints and lip prints from little faces squished against them looking out at what’s going on in the neighborhood or to see if Daddy is home yet from work. The walls have colored spots and handprints, memories from a little one who fancied himself Picasso. The floors are often sticky no matter how many times I mop them. The faucet needs to be wiggled just the right way to make the water stop dripping. The bathtub often has mud splatters from kids cleaning themselves up but not cleaning up the bathroom. The beds are droopy in the middles and the carpets are stained in various places with various substances. It’s not that we don’t clean… quite the opposite!  We are cleaning all the time. But, with so many people living in a limited amount of space, well, it takes its toll. And that toll was what bothered me.

Not having extra money to do any major repair work or changes I started doing the small things I knew I could get done. We painted the walls and fixed a few things that we could fix. There were some things that we just couldn’t do before family got here and so they were left for another day. Still, I worried. What would our family think of our house? Would they just see the imperfections, the messes, the fingerprints and mud splatters?

As it turned out they didn’t notice any of it… not the things that bothered me nor the changes I had made hoping they would feel more comfortable in our home! What they did notice was the joy our children have, the love we clearly have for each other, and the warmth of our home-life. It turned out that those things I worried about so much before they got here were not the things our family came to see. They didn’t care about the windows, the carpet, or the faucet. They cared about spending as much time with us as possible before they would have to travel back to their own homes. All that worry was for nothing!

You see, in the end, when people truly want to spend time with you, they don’t notice all the imperfections that we become so focused on ourselves. The laundry that is waiting in the basket to be folded isn’t a big deal. The table top that has scratches and dings on it just means that so many family meals have been celebrated around it that it’s well used and loved. The fingerprints on the walls, the windows, the television, well, on everything, just means that there are children who live there who are active and playful. All those things that keep us from inviting people over to share our lives with us are just testaments to the fact that our homes are well lived in and loved in. We shouldn’t be so preoccupied with wanting things to look perfect or like out of a magazine that we fail to allow others to experience the joy, the love, and the warmth that comes from living in a home full of children who just so happen to leave messes and evidence of their existence!

I’ve often been told that one day I will be sad that I’m not constantly wiping off fingerprints from the windows or pulling toys out of the toilet. I know this is true. I have a hard time imagining my home without the craziness that comes along with having children living here all day, every day. I’m sure the quiet will sometimes be nice, but to be honest, if I had to choose between having a home that looks ready to have guest over at the drop of a hat or having a home where you have to step over toys, pick up school books so you can sit down on the couch, or perhaps even get out the glass cleaner to clean the TV off before you watch it, I would choose my house every time. My house may sometimes be cluttered or a mess but it is always overflowing with fun, happiness, joy, and love. Anyone who visits is sure to make memories that will last them a lifetime.

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2 thoughts on “Fingerprints and Mud Splatters”

  1. Pingback: 'Danny and Annie' Viral Video Will Melt Your Heart - BigPulpit.com

  2. Birgit Atherton Jones

    I loved this and so agree. As far as ever having extended periods of quiet after they all grow up, take heart. They will be returning often and bringing their own families to experience the love and joy. My youngest is 25, yet our house remains messy, loving and fun! God bless!

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