The Dishes Will be Here All Night
People were laughing and chatting, the kids were running around the table and chairs playing and screaming, a mom was re-packing her diaper bag in the corner while balancing her baby on her hip. I was sitting at the table, anxiously kicking my legs that didn't touch the ground, trying to join in the conversation. It was a brisk winter night-and everyone felt satisfied and accomplished. A group of us had spent the evening hauling and stacking loads upon trailer loads of split wood for an elderly couple. They had invited us into their home for a meal. The cozy home was full to the brim with people, but it was fitting because so were our hearts after a night of teamwork and laughter.
Everyone had finished eating and was now busy visiting. Having failed to join the conversation, I decided to clear the table and start washing the dishes. I gathered the leftovers, and threw away trash. Humming to myself, I ran the water and picked up a plate to start washing. Then she stopped me. She gently laid her hand on my shoulder-it was our hostess. Her blue eyes fluttered beneath the crown of her short, grey hair and from behind her simple, round frame glasses. "The dishes will be here all night", she said, "but the people won't."
She led me back into the living room where we sat down with everybody else. She struck up a conversation with the other ladies, and I looked around shyly. The dinner table was on the far side of the room-still strewn with used dishes, leftovers, and various pieces of trash and personal belongings. There were stray napkins on the floor, babies crawling over feet, and wet patches where snow from our feet had melted. It was a mess. It was beautiful.
I will never forget that night. I won't forget her words. All my life I had thought when there was a mess, you stop and clean it up; when there was a need, you went out and made money; when you want something, you drop everything else and go get it. But not on this night. On this night we left the dirty dishes, we let the snow melt on the wood floor, we let the kids scream, we left the napkins on the floor and we just enjoyed one another. "The dishes will be here all night, but the people won't."
This is so true. I often find myself neglecting the people most important to me because I feel I should be doing something more productive. Really though investing in the lives of others is far more important! Thanks for the encouragement to set the right priorities in my life.
ReplyDeleteMitton_pilot
Me too. I always feel like I should be working or making money-but really all that lasts at the end of the day is the people. 💗You’re welcome—glad you can be encouraged.
DeleteI love this post! Thank ya so much for sharing this precious tidbit! People are definately more important then dishes....can be so hard for me to see that too, but I am learning.
ReplyDeleteGlad you could be encouraged! Yes it’s a big struggle for me right now too! 💗
DeleteI totally agree that we sometimes get caught up in the rush of life. We have so much to attend to from day to day. But we have to stop and pay attention to the people around us. Otherwise they disappear and move on to their next destination and we're wondering what the heck happened. Nice post. Cheers!
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