Apocrypha   Ecc. 26 vs. 16
As the sun ariseth  in the high heaven; so is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of her house

Apocrypha  Ecc 31 vs.23
whoso is liberal of his meat, men shall speak well of him; and the report of his good housekeeping will be believed.

When preparing for guests or family to come over, we scrub, we clean, dust and mop, cook, anything we can to make a good impression. Growing up, at my parents’ house, we had to make sure that the front of the house, living room, bathroom, and kitchen were always in a good state because you never know who is just going to stop by unannounced. There were always chores that we were given, boys too ,…however especially to the girls…

 

 

I have been to some apartments in the projects that look better than homes in the suburbs. Our first apartment was a former drug den before we moved in because while the apartment was vacant, addicts busted the locks…( later on we realized it was the  sodomite neighbors on the third floor, who by the way had a dog they never walked but threw all the  animal feces and dirty newspapers out the window so it landed in the alleyway next to the building and  very often directly on our windows….which coincidently started a fire  that reached my window the week I brought my first son home from the hospital, firefighters, busted my windows  checking the walls for damage ..nice  visual right ?)….back to the locks,… so we had to purchase brand new locks top and bottom, we had an absentee landlord, and mice.  Brothers used to tease my husband and call it the “rat” block, because there was a large empty lot at the corner and the huge rats used to run up and down the block in and around the garbage.  We lived across from the projects in a tiny one bedroom apartment in Spanish Harlem, on the second floor with no heat in the winter and way too hot in the summer, and the power often went out.  A dorm sized refrigerator and a stove that barely worked ……but we cleaned it up and made it our first home….whenever people came to visit, they couldn’t believe how nice it was……where there is love, and peace it can always be a beautiful home.

It’s always nice to have guests, but it is equally important to be a good guest. Mind your manners in all aspects and know when you have overstayed your welcome……say , “Shalom good night”

Ever hear the expression, “ you ain’t gotta go home, but you gotta get up outta here ”….

Proverbs 25 vs 17

withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee

Apocrypha Ecc 29 vs. 24-27

For it is a miserable life to go from house to house; for where thou art a stranger, thou darest not open thy mouth. Thalt shall entertain, and feast, and have no thanks; moreover thou shall hear bitter words; come thou stranger, and furnish a table, and feed me of that thou hast ready…..give place, thou stranger, to an honourable man; my brother cometh to be lodged , and I have need of mine house.

 

Let’s be honest we all have drawers , closets, rooms  etc., that may look like a bomb went off in it (so  close the door  and keep off limits when company comes!), and yet some sisters are able to keep a spotless home. Sometimes things get out of control , so start cleaning up before you get to the point of no return. When you have young kids , this is just about impossible, so don’t set yourself up for failure with high expectations if you need help ask someone to help you, if you can afford a maid or cleaning service every once and a while great for you!!! ….fingerprints on the walls is going to happen so get out the cleaning products. I heard a story… don’t remember where, about kids wanting to get paid to do work or do chores around the house ….what a joke !….everyone should want where they live , eat, and sleep to be a decent place to live without excuses.

Share cleaning and organizational tips with each other, you can always learn something new. Make sure your home is neat and groceries   purchased before the Sabbath comes in. During the summer, sundown is later so you have a longer time to shop, clean or cook ; however in the winter months you should plan your major shopping , cooking or cleaning for preparation for the Sabbath no later than Thursday  because the sun goes down so early in the day on Friday. Keep this in mind as you plan for the other high holy days throughout the year.

When the ones’ you love are messy….it can send you over the edge. After working all day the last thing that I want  is to come home to is a junky house….I go completely insane. My kids know to keep the front entrance clean, and the kitchen also, any area I can see from the front door….if it isn’t ……I wake everybody up to clean up before I go to bed, doesn’t matter how late it is. For others it could be the toilet seat up, toothpaste in the sink ( I hate that) or dishes in the sink .Kids rooms and excess clothing are a nightmare in their own right, ( I live this nightmare daily with  3 sons sharing a room and not enough closets…. all I can say is give away or throw away ).

When my husband was growing up his parents house was spotless ….you could eat off the floor or at least off the plastic covered sofa and chairs. Nowadays that man rarely picks up a broom or a mop , but he can clean better than me so when our place has crossed over the line of  decency he will let me know( about every two weeks ). He on the other hand is very messy with paperwork and I can’t stand a disorganized or cluttered desk, but he says he knows where everything is and when things get misplaced I usually get the blame and start helping him look for whatever is missing. Compromise is clearly the way to go….so take a deep breath, cause at the end of the day it really doesn’t even matter. If your house is visually clean  but the spirit within you is filthy dirty you need to rethink your priorities. What are you really focusing on?  Appearances  or the inner woman?

 

During slavery and segregation, families along with extended families lived together happily and neatly together in spaces that were the size of modern day living rooms or smaller. Life was simplier then, and less was more. We are living in a time where we want the latest and greatest  (coveteousness ) and often live beyond our means, thus accumulating stuff, that adds to the clutter. Amongst that clutter is credit card debt and overdrawn bank accounts. Take the time to evaluate what matters ….family and friends, and the love of the Lord.

Psalms 133 vs.1

behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

 

As late as the 1960’s and early 70s’ some homes in the south of the poor, did not have modern day advantages (my grandparents lived in   shacks until they got an upgrade to a trailer  ) they didn’t have  multiple rooms, only  one  black and white tv with a old wire hanger as an antenna…tv used to go off at midnight and there were only 5 or six channels, no indoor toilets, washing machines and the like. We had to take turns taking a bath in a tin tub in the back of the house after boilng water that had to be pulled up from a well.  We went every summer & learned a lot,….like how to go fishing and clean fish scales and all, wash clothes on a board and hang them out on a line….eat eggs from the chicken coop and so on…. some years were better than others, running through corn -fields ,  listening to my grandparents crazy stories,  eating watermelon on the porch….except the year I caught poison ivy at the end of the summer and school was about to start(somewhere not listening or doing what I was supposed to ). Even in that there was a learning lesson as  I scratched all the way to New York on the Greyhound Bus back home from South Carolina. The shacks are gone now, and the property is all overgrown in the back of the woods but it has taught me to appreciate the little things, We have become spoiled by advantage and forget that our foremothers had to scrub dishes, floors and clothing by hand….and lived happily with much less than we could ever imagine.  My father has told me stories of going to school barefoot, sharing clothing with his siblings, and brushing his teeth with baking soda with his fingers.

Your home is a reflection of your spirit, style, and family needs. Make your home a place of peace, rest and harmony for all to enjoy.

You had to grow your food , in my grandparents days, not select it at the supermarket . ( I took my daughter to the  fresh food bazaar in Brooklyn, she asked me why all the fish still had their heads and  eyes attached….(so funny )in the old days,  there was always plenty to go around even for unexpected guests….no microwaves , fast food or pizza delivery…..My grandmother had a great reputation for being able to feed everybody when they stopped by regardless of when ….she was always prepared and planned ahead, she loved having company……the spirit of hospitality is a gift …..are you ready or prepared if someone stopped by your house unexpectedly ?

 

Genesis 18 vs. 4-6

Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under a tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts……and Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make the cakes upon the hearth…..

 

Hebrews 13 vs.1 & 2

let brotherly love  continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Apocrypha  Ecc. 29 vs. 21…..

The chief thing for life is water, and bread, and clothing, and a house to cover shame.