Gratitude Journal - Chores

“Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell.
While other folks go hungry, we’re eating very well.” Unknown 

T - 32 - Who has not groaned and moaned over doing chores at some point? This is the part of my week which I always dread and sometimes even put off.
Sometimes we don't know how lucky we are until we loose our blessings, which is why we need to see these chores as privileges and not burdens.

There are 795 million people on this planet who go hungry everyday. This makes me appreciate all my dirty dishes. I don’t mean that I relish cleaning up the kitchen or I am always dying to take out the trash. But I am very grateful to Allah for giving our family plenty of nourishing food to eat, alhamdulillah. 

454,520 people in Ontario require social assistance - they cannot afford rent, food or clothes. I thank Allah for my piles of laundry. Yes, it is boring to wash and fold clothes week after week but it is a sign that we have a variety of clothes to wear for every season and every occasion, alhamdulillah. 

5,253 Torontonians are homeless - they sleep outdoors or in emergency shelters, women shelters, and in rehab or correctional faciltiies. Alhamdulillah for the constant clutter and mess in our home. I don't mind the oil spill on the the kitchen floor or the food crumbs under the table; I will forgive the the sauce stain on the clothes, and the sink counter overflowing with water because it means I have a roof over my head that allows my family to blossom together rather than being forced to fend for ourselves on the streets. Alhamdulillah!

However true gratitude is not simply being thankful to Allah for the blessings He gave us but also sharing the blessings with Allah's creation- sharing our food, clothes and open our homes and hearts for others - starting with the people whom Allah made our blood relatives, our neighbours then the rest of the community.