WOMAN

by Maressa Mortimer

Do dishes count?

Or wiping smudged fingerprints off the window?

Should I have that cold coffee or prod my sourdough?

I smile, nod and smile some more. The days are long, but many years have gone before.

I sigh and count.

I count minutes, days, hugs. I count the needed pairs of shoes, the persistent bugs.

But mostly the warm squishy hands, finger fitting around my hand, Whereas only yesterday, their tiny hands covered in sand, Fitted easily in mine, softer still.

I look and count

They all have jobs, they all go places

Each morning, I see them, dashing make-up on faces

Looking neat, organised and important. Do dishes count?

I smile again, with a happy sigh this time. The years will be gone, so will the grime. I will have clean windows and flattering shoes on my feet. It will be me ready to greet, To go places, to have guests and grown-up children.

I sit and count. I count my blessings, over and over in my head.

The list never ending, my soul richly fed.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.