In the echo of actions taken, meals completed, and conversations finished, there is stuff to be done. Sometimes the things one needs to do are mindless. Engage, start the water running, soap up, and take the first step in washing the dishes. No real thought is required. Occasionally the question of where to put the dish to dry appears, if in doubt, a cool stove is always a good alternative to the overflowing dish rack. On other occasions, the question of what comes next lingers. There are no clear answers, no right or wrong, best choice or poor one. One simply needs to make a choice and get on with the details of living.
I was recently reminded of the potential importance in the moments after. Am I willing to reflect and consider? Do I think there is something to be remembered, to etch on my mind? Is this an important part of a bigger story, if so have I considered the impact?
I read the notes of how others observed the same moment, wondering if anyone is learning from the past. In an old story, after a victory, an observer noted how “housewives, safe and sound back home, divide up the plunder, the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.” (Psalm 68.13) Did they realize what had been at stake? Did they understand the price that had been paid for the objects in their hand, the sacrifices that others had made?
A gift Life often leaves with me is these moments. There is time and space for my observation. Often there is quietness, a willingness of everything around me to give me what is required to remember, reflect, and embrace.
I am reminded that saying thank you to the other participants involved is one way to let the memories sink deep into my heart. Saying nothing, remaining quiet inside and out is another vehicle that opens my mind up to the greater story. Also, for me, washing dishing and gentle cleaning also takes me to a space where Divinity reminds me of family. There is more.
