This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes... Early On Monday Morning

When I was growing up, we did laundry on Mondays. Only on Mondays. After breakfast, Mom and I headed to the basement where the washing tub, ringer, and two large galvanized tubs waited for us. Unzipping the bloated hamper hanging from the basement ceiling, we pulled out blue jeans, school clothes, dirty socks and a smell that made me want to dash back up the steps. (I lived with five brothers.)

One of us would go to the sink, run the water until it was scorching hot, fill two buckets with water, add Tide and 1 cup of bleach to each. Dirty diapers went in one; white socks in the other. A stick was used to mash the socks and diapers up and down, much like mashing potatoes by hand. They were left to soak.

During the soaking, we finished sorting: sheets and pillow cases from six beds, towels, chore clothes, nice whites, ordinary whites, and medium colored clothes--usually our school or church clothes.

When one batch had been run through the ringer from hot wash to hot rinse to cold rinse, it ended up in a plastic-lined laundry basket, carried up the steps and out the door where it was hung on the clothes line. If there was time in between the loads, we kids played hide and seek between the sheets and towels while the wind whipped everything about and the sun penetrated every fiber.

When winter arrived, Mom strung a clothes line from one end of the basement to the other, back and forth until there were about four lines. Being in such close quarters and without a breeze and sunshine, it took several days for the laundry to dry.

Obviously, the way we do a lot of things has changed; we are much more expedient. Looking back, the good thing about the process of doing laundry when I was a child was the fact that it took time. I had time to think, time to feel the sunshine, time to have a chat with Mom and a prayer or two with God. I will never forget the smell of fresh sheets at night. It was a reminder of a job well-done and a night of rest that would be peaceful.

Sometimes, I want to go back.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8