My favorite thing I heard at church today was that we should be people oriented rather than task oriented. The teacher talked about a period of his life when he was having a hard time. After a restless night, the next morning he asked his wife if she could make his lunch for work, a request she accepted. The teacher then pulled out a surprise note his wife had left for him with the lunch. It read, “Have a good day. Sweetie, I love you. CHIN UP :)”

She had made the lunch he had asked for but had taken an extra minute to address a more serious need. The lunch was task oriented, he said, but the note was people oriented. My life as a stay at home mom can feel heavily task oriented. Errands and meals and laundry, task after task after task. A to do list that starts over before I ever make it to the bottom. It’s easy to feel more like an appliance than a person, constantly and exclusively meeting the physical demands of the family. I think to be people oriented, we must meet the spiritual needs of those around us, especially those placed in our protection. Ella and Jack need baths but they also need a clean and bright haven from the world. They need food but their minds need to be filled with good things. They need the tasks I perform but also the love and safety that only I can give them.

Creating a peaceful home where love can flourish and a spirit of goodness can abound maybe starts with the tasks but they should end with the people, the family in heart and mind. I guess I learned today that I am more than my tasks and I should and can start acting like it.

Happy Sunday, everybody.