White than Snow! 9/30/08

WHITER THAN SNOW
Today, there is lots of discussion as to which soap to use to keep your whites white. Years ago it wasn’t the soap as much as it was time, muscle and help. Growing up in a large family you are given jobs. One of the first jobs my sister Joyce and I were given was the laundry. I was 13 and Joyce was 10. I just know you are saying; "Big deal"! Well it was a big deal! My Dad had built sort of a lean to behind the garage. It had a dirt floor with old linoleum on it and not totally inclosed and it was called the laundry room. The washer was old but most of the time it worked. When it was broke, Crazy Johnnie was called to repair it. That’s another story!
One of my favorites was the one with the wringer we turned by hand. The other one had a small spin dry hole which I hated. To empty the washer you would lay the hose on the ground and let it empty into the yard. When it wasn’t working we would wash in the big tub next to the washer and use the scrub board. It was also emptied by laying the hose on the ground. I suppose all of that was much better than pounding them on a rock in the lake, huh.
It gets better! We washed clothes on Saturday mornings only, which means we washed 8 twin size sheets, 4 standard bed sheets, enough towels that were hung double on 7 clothes line that were approximately 17 ft long. We had a total of 14 clothes lines. At this time we had around 16 people living at our house. Go ahead, you do the math! After Daddy died we moved. My brother Lonnie bought Mom a new washer with a wringer and eventually a "dryer". Our prayers for Mom going onto the TV show, Queen for a Day, was totally squashed. Well, by that time, my new job was ironing. Ugh!!!
When the sheets were dry we made the beds. I didn’t get Lonnie’s bed made once, and around 1:00 am he knocked on my bedroom door. I had to get up and make his bed. A job isn’t done until it is done! I don’t remember who folded the towels but I know they got used again because we washed the same towels every weekend. Joyce and I talk and laugh about that time in our lives. We agree, It was hard, but when our job was done we were done until next Saturday. Life is like that isn’t it....
My mother had a lot of obstacles to face in raising and caring for her family. When I look back on it I applaud her fortitude and resilience. She knew she had a job to do and she did it with all her might. Her children may have grumbled and rebelled; Some silently complained and some were vocal; But she was the law! She fed us! She made sure we were clean inside and out. She made sure we attended school and even Sunday School. I believe her motto was; "You do as you are told"! I don’t know how it was with the older kids but as one of the younger ones, I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I didn’t do as I was told. I may have argued a lot, but I did what I was told.
Isaiah 1:16-20 tells us to wash yourselves, make yourselves clean by removing the evil from your lives. He further instructs us to do good and seek justice. God points out that our sins are scarlet but He can make us "white as snow". However, all of that comes with conditions. We are to say yes to God and obey Him. When we do, we are His and He will care for us. If we refuse and rebel, we are lost. In Matthew 23:27-28 Jesus talks about the hypocrites, being as white washed tombs. Outwardly they appear beautiful and righteous but on the inside they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Some times it is hard to follow the rules! Sometimes it is hard to toe the line! Sometimes we just don’t want to! I learned as a child to obey my parents. Wasn’t easy but that is what it is all about. In Joshua 24:15 it says; "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". It’s as simple as that! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 1/19/08