Picking Up Where We Left Off

There is nothing like coming home to a neat, clean house.  Any time we are going to leave home for more than a few hours--and especially overnight--I am determined that all the cleaning must be done, the counters cleared, the dishwasher emptied, the trash taken out, and the laundry in check before we walk out the door.  Some may think this a little unnecessary; but I ask, who wants to come home to a mess?!  Not me!  I can enjoy myself while away from home so much more when I have no reason to dread my return.

We returned home from our Thanksgiving trip to my parents' house late yesterday afternoon, and as I stepped in the door of our house, I caught myself letting out a sigh of thankfulness at the sight (and smell) before me.  No cluttered countertops, no dirty dishes, no smelly trash... what a relief!  Even though I always leave the house in good shape when we go away, I'm still pleasantly surprised by its cleanliness every time we return home.  There is definitely reward in working hard before leaving home.  And... there is reward in working hard upon returning home, too....

I learned a long time ago that unpacking suitcases after a trip is so much easier when done immediately.  For whatever reason, the longer a full suitcase sits on the bedroom floor undealt with, the harder dealing with it becomes.  Although there are times when I'm just too tired or unmotivated to unpack the moment I arrive at home, most of the time I do try to get everything put away in its proper place as soon as I walk in the door.  That is just what we did last night, and we were literally done putting away a week's worth of stuff for six people within fifteen minutes!

Because of our diligence both before leaving home and upon arriving home, we can begin our day today without the delay of having to still get settled in or caught up.  We are simply picking up right where we left off, as if we had never been gone.  What a blessing!...

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