Homemaking

A Mother's Guide to 1 Corinthians 13

If I keep my house spotless and dust-free,

And deliver crisp starched shirts and clean white socks,

But do not show love to my family,

I'm just another housewife.

If I cook well-balanced meals, pack delicious lunches,

And prepare gourmet holiday dinners with all the trimmings,

But do not show love to my family,

I'm just another cook.

If I sew gorgeous window treatments,

With matching fringed pillows and coordinating wall coverings,

But I do not show love to those who live therein,

I am just another interior decorator.

Love puts down the dust cloth to hug the child.

Love rubs a back, kisses a bruised knee, and bandages a skinned elbow.

Love colors a picture, plays cowboys and Indians;

Listens to endless stories over and over again.

Love is patient and kind, though tired and frazzled.

Love doesn't envy another's child who never seems to misbehave,

Or get puffed up on the one occasion when hers doesn't.

Love doesn't try to impress others 
with her abilities or knowledge as a mother.

Love doesn't yell or swat but disciplines with control.

Love doesn't feel cheated because 
Mommy didn't get to do what she wanted today ~

Scrapbook, read, or soak in a hot tub.

Cook, clean, and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

What Children Need

Children need more than clothes on their backs,

A roof o'er their heads or a lunch in their sacks.

Children need more than HD TV,

The latest Nintendo, and Blue-Rays to see.

Children need more than a beautiful home,

A room full of toys, or their own IPhone.

Children need more than far-off vacations,

Amusement park rides and grand celebrations.

Though treasures we buy bring them smiles ~ it is true;

Our children need less than we might think they do.

Children need time to talk and share,

For growing is painful and not always fair.

Children need someone with listening ears

To hear how their day went and help calm their fears.

Children need space, a home where there's rest,

A place where they're needed and told, "You're the best!"

Children need hands to hold when they're scared;

Children need arms to hug them and care.

Yes, children need less than we might think they do,

Children need love ~ Your children need you.

~ Nancy Agular ~

(modified a bit by me)