Anastasia finished piping the last bit of frosting on the 72nd cupcake. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and breathed a sigh of relief before loading them into boxes. Standing in the center of the kitchen, surrounded by the bowls of congealing frosting, the flour-coated counter, and the sink full of dishes, she felt a headache coming on. Well, the kitchen wouldn’t get clean by itself. Thirty minutes later, the room was spotless. She glanced at the clock. Only twenty minutes before the kids would get off the bus. She changed the laundry from the washer to the drier and dusted the family room before making the quick trip down the street to meet the bus.

Moments later, Tyler and Nadia scampered off the bus, skipping down the sidewalk. They each grabbed one of her hands and chattered about their day.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Tyler said.

“It smells so yummy in here,” Nadia said, as they entered the house.

“I just finished baking all the cupcakes for the bake sale at the school fair tomorrow. That’s what you’re smelling.”

“I want a cupcake,” Tyler said.

“Me, too,” Nadia added.

“I saved cupcakes for everyone for dessert. But for now, you can have some apple slices.”

“With peanut butter?”

“Sure.”

“Yay!”

While the children sat at the counter enjoying their snack, Anastasia ran the vacuum in the foyer. Why was the work never done? She stowed the vacuum back in the closet and went to check on the children.

“Mommy, play with us.”

“I can’t play right now. I have to fold the laundry and then make dinner. Why don’t you take Scooter outside for a while.”

“OK, Mommy. Come on, Scooter!”

Anastasia hauled the basket of laundry upstairs and started matching socks. When she finished, she peered out the window to check on the kids. Over the fence, she saw the neighbors in the yard. It looked like Veronica was playing some kind of kickball game with her kids. Anastasia lingered for a moment, watching the scene. They looked like they were having so much fun. Anastasia headed outside.

Veronica saw her exit the house and called to her. “Hey Ana, why don’t you bring the kids over and join us? Our team versus yours.”

Anastasia moved over to the fence. “How do you do it?”

“Do what? Play kickball?”

“No. You’re always playing with the kids.”

“Well of course. That’s the fun of being a parent. Why wouldn’t I play with them?”

“I like playing with the kids too, but between getting ready for the bake sale at the spring fair and volunteering with the PTA, I can barely keep up with all the housework, much less have time to play in the yard,” Anastasia said.

Veronica studied Anastasia for a moment. “What do you have to do right now that’s keeping you from playing with us?”

“Well, dinner isn’t going to make itself.”

Veronica glanced at her watch. “It’s only 4:30. There’s plenty of time. Just make something simple.”

“I don’t think just making a simple dinner is going to let me have as much time as you seem to have with the kids.”

“You know what? We’re getting pizza tonight. And I’m ordering enough for ten. Bring the family over. Then you won’t need to make dinner at all. I have something I want to show you at my house.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Anastasia protested.

“I want to. Jerry likes pizza, doesn’t he?”

“He does, but…”

“But nothing. I’m going to run inside and place the order. Bring the kids around and I’ll be right back to play.”

An hour later, both Jerry and Veronica’s husband Randy had joined them in the game. By the time the pizza arrived, everyone had worked up an appetite. The pizza tasted even better than usual. After eating, the kids ran off to play a video game while the adults lingered at the table.

“What did you want to show me, Veronica?” Anastasia asked.

“Did you notice anything in particular about our house?”

Anastasia glanced around the room. “No…”

“So you didn’t notice the fine layer of dust on the furniture, the spots on the windows, or the pile of mail that I haven’t sorted through?”

“Your house looks fine.”

“But it’s not perfect,” Veronica said.

“Well no, but…”

“It’s a simple fact. My house is not perfect. I had people over and I didn’t go to any trouble. We had a nice night together and I didn’t scrub the kitchen floor, or dust, or wash the windows. I didn’t put away all the clutter, and I didn’t even make dinner. Instead, we all played kickball together. You’re not raising a house, Anastasia, you’re raising a family. And when those kids grow up and move away, they’re not going to remember how clean you made the house, or how many school functions you volunteered to help out at. What they’ll remember is how much you loved them and spent time with them.”

     John 15:12 My command is this: love one another as I have loved you.

God, thank You for the wise counselors You put in our lives. Please help us to focus on what is important in life. Help us to make memories with those we care about. You designed us to be in relationships with others. Thank you for the blessing of family and friends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.