Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2015
Shiloh’s Shenanigans - Mommy Works Harder on the Road
Shiloh’s Shenanigans - Mommy Works Harder on the Road
Mommy - Cheryle M. Touchton
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23
"Oh no," Mommy exclaimed. "The camper isn't charging." She called Daddy and he gave her a couple of things to try. I could tell that neither of them thought it would work but they were dreading what Mommy was going to have do to really fix it. Finally, Mommy took a deep breath. She crawled up on the bed and took off the sheets. Then she moved the heavy mattress over, lifted the door underneath and flipped a switch. Next came the putting the bed back together. She crawled, lifted, tugged, tucked, and finally said, "This is going to have to do." The bed sure didn't look like it did when Daddy made it up. It was easy for her to talk. It wasn't her side of the bed that was messed up. Oh well, Daddy will be here in a couple of days to fix it.
We'd been so busy that Mommy hadn't had time to do her daily cleaning of the camper. The floor was dirty and my hair was everywhere. She grabbed the sponge she uses for dog hair and wiped the bed spread, chairs, carpets, and curtains. Next, she grabbed the tiny broom and swept. Then she got down on her knees with a wipe and scrubbed the floor and under the chairs and counters. Then, she wiped down all the cabinets, the microwave, and the stove. Finally, she cleaned out the fridge and the bathroom. She looked exhausted. This sure is easier when she has time to do it every day.
Now it was time to tackle the key alarm. It was only working some of the time and it needed to be reset. Mommy called Daddy and he told her where to find the manual. They interpreted the instructions together and finally, Mommy got both of the keys working.
Since we were to be here a couple of days, Mommy decided to put out the stake with my leash on it so I could sit with her. We are in Colorado and the ground is made of rocks. Mommy got the hammer and after 30 minutes, she finally said, "This will have to do." I had news for her - I could have totally pulled it up but I didn't have the heart.
It was laundry day. She dragged the heavy laundry bag and soap to the laundry room. She forgot the dryer sheets so she had to come back. She went to the office to get quarters. Laundry took several hours. "Shiloh," she said as she was shoving clothes into cabinets that looked too small to me. "I know this came out of these cabinets so they have to go back in."
We left to go meet with a sister of a friend of Mommy's. I watched her go outside, unhook the camper and carefully curl up the cords. They always fall out. Daddy can keep them curled but when Mommy tries to put them in, they uncurl and she ends of shoving. "Ouch!" I hear her holler. Poor Mommy.
The hardest to watch was her sorting her supplements and putting them in their weekly container. The camper is never completely level and the table is wobbly. That means that things spill so I wasn't surprised when an entire bottle of tiny supplements spilled all over the floor. "Stay!" Mommy commanded as she got down on her hands and knees. I was on the bed and had no intentions of getting down. I had already tried these and they tasted terrible. Mommy got a broom and reached under the chair and cabinets. She lifted the drain and picked out the pills. There were even some on the step and under the fire extinguisher. Just as she got the last one in, she put the bottle on the table and tried to stand up. It is a small camper and she stumbled and caught herself on the table. Sure enough, those tiny little devils spilled again and Mommy had to start over.
"These are expensive," Mommy said aloud. I hoped she was talking to me. "I know they've been on the floor but I'm taking them anyway."
Mostly, Mommy laughs at the things that go wrong. The only time I see her cry is when she has to dump the waste water. She usually ends up needing a shower but eventually, she even gets that done. Whenever possible, she waits on Daddy to do that. He makes it look so easy.
Camper life isn't easy for Mommy but she does it anyway. She just doesn't seem very natural at mechanical things. She says she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her and that it is even harder not to obey Jesus. She says that when she is crawling on the floor fixing something, she is working for God. When I watch people cry and hug her right after they pray to receive Jesus, I suppose that makes it worth it. I know she enjoys being outside, sitting in her chair, and talking to God so that helps. Pray for my Mommy as she stumbles around with buttons, cords, wrenches, hoses, pliers, user manuals, computers, latches, leaks, holding tanks, key fobs, batteries, switch boxes, and engines. Pray for Daddy as he tries to help her long distance.
Email Cheryle
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