Overtaken

I was working on an article for the Goshen Gazette about Deuteronomy 28.  How, we tend to just focus on the mention of "treasure" in the 12th verse and have largely omitted the requirements as well as the potential consequences.  Deuteronomy 28 is really quite a lengthy chapter!  I am blessed to be able to work from home and be doing housework on Preparation Day, so while I was writing I had a load of laundry in the washer.  My article specifically addressed the fact that blessings were promised to come on us and overtake us.

I went into the kitchen for something and realized the washer wasn't making any noise, and I thought that was rather quick.  The laundry room is right off the kitchen, so I went on in to remove that load and put in the last one, when to my surprise, the washer was quiet because it wasn't doing anything, except holding a drum full of soapy water and very heavy clothes . . . I thought of the humor in the fact that a failed agitator in the washer, can produce agitation in the operator, but I wasn't agitated in the least.

As I wrung the wet clothes out to put into a bucket to take to the bathtub to rinse, all sorts of thoughts literally danced through my head.  One, the fact that the water was contained in the washer, rather than all over the floor was indeed a blessing.  Second, I was very thankful it wasn't a front loader.  The next thought was in regard to being ready.  We are so dependent upon our conveniences.  I've been looking for a wringer washer for quite awhile now, not for all my laundry needs, but for outdoor things.  I then thought how nice that would have been today.  Our conveniences are doubly inconvenient when they don't work!

Whether this washer gets repaired or replaced, I am thankful that I don't have to go beat the clothes on a rock in the creek.  I'm thankful it's been in such good working order that I can't even remember when I bought it.  I'm also very thankful that I still have clean clothes to put on, and will for a few days, regardless of the next opportunity to do laundry.  When I think of serious things going on all over the world, a washer that won't agitate is pretty minor.  

A blessing truly has come on me, and overtaken me, though.  Most of my adult life, I have been absolutely obsessive, compulsive about laundry.  There was a certain way it had to be done, from sorting to hung up or folded and put away!  I won't go into detail, just suffice it to say, I was pretty quirky!  Any variables were very difficult for me to deal with.  Before my last marriage, I asked my fiance if he was picky about his laundry or the way it was done.  He replied with, "No, not really."  To that I said, "Well I am!  When it comes to laundry, I'm crazy and I don't want any help."  It really was that big of a deal to me, that I thought I needed to confess or give warning.

Today, I realize, the blessing has come on me and overtaken me.  The washer went haywire and all I can do is think of blessings!