Well the meal is over. I spent about 6 hours cooking it, got out Grandmom Nelle's china, set a beautiful table, the family gathered around, we talked, and laughed, the meal was eaten in about 20 minutes and I was washing Grandmom Nelle's china. I started thinking, why do I bring out the 100plus year old china when I know that I have to wash it by hand after? I must be crazy.

Then I remembered a similar night many many years ago. I had 10 in my family, so everynight the meals were big and we all took turns doing the dishes after. We were simi-poor. I say semi=poor because I can honestly say that I have never, ever been hungry in my life. We did not have a lot, I can make glue from flour, polish shoes with coffee and tea, clean with a vinegar and salt mixture, make my own cold remedies, make my own toothpaste, I had school shoes and walked barefoot the rest of the time, we had meat one night a week-hamburger on Sundays, but we did not know any differently so it was all good.

This night I remember, was before the days when I ever dreamed that someday I would have a dishwasher. It was my night to do the dishes and I was not happy about it. I wanted to go out with my friends and hang on the corner and act like a tough guy (what a fool I was back then). Of course, I did not complain about it because in my house you did not complain about your "jobs". Everybody had jobs, and Your job was your job to do. So anyway I was doing my job. I guess that I was not looking too thrilled or was taking too long or perhaps it was the fact that I sware that my father was a mind reader and could see through walls, but he knew that I was not happy about doing the dishes.

He came into the kitchen, sat at the kitchen table behind me while I stood at the sink, He poured himself a cup of coffee and started to recite:

"Thank god for dirty dishes

They have a tale to tell

While other folks go hungry

we're eating very well

With health and home and happiness

we Shouldn't want to fuss

For by this stack of evidence,

god's very good to us."

I asked him to write it down for me because it really hit home for me. It was so true. I kept it with me on all the nights when it was my turn to do the dishes. I do not think about it often now, but I did tonight and I remembered.......Thank god for dirty dishes.....

I hope you have a lot of dirty dishes in your sink.

Peace

D