My ugly kitchen

My family and I live in a 100ish year old house that we're renting.  It's big and for the most part offers the space that we need.  But because it's old and because it's a rental and because I always dream of someday owning our own home, I grumble.

I grumble about living on a corner lot where we don't really have a yard.  And what we do have is all weeds.  I grumble about the hardwood floors.  Because although I'm sure they were very nice at one point in their lifetime, they are now scratched, and dented and pretty darn ugly.  And I grumble because all the windows in our homes, even the ones that don't even open, are rotting and very very drafty.

And then there's my kitchen.  Oh, the kitchen.  The room of the house with mustard yellow counter tops, pressed board cabinets with unidentifiable (and non-removable) gunk on the outside and a 1960's style linoleum floor that's curling at the edges and has cigarette burns throughout.  Yes, cigarette burns.  Oh, and don't forget the blue plaid wall paper mixed with some awful country style border at the top.  It is quite possibly the ugliest kitchen I have ever seen.  I try to be thankful, but seriously, you should see it.  Ugly ugly ugly.

Grumble grumble grumble.

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Yesterday our 9 year old neighbor girl, Z, came over for an hour after school before her dad arrived home from work.  And while she was here a friend of hers stopped by and invited herself in (don't ask).  Anyway, I've never met this girl, obviously a classmate, but as she approached Z, she asked

"Are these your neighbors?  Wow.  They have a really nice house!"

(big sigh)

There are too many times that I find myself so caught up in my own grumblings and the "I wish I had's" that I forget how totally and truly blessed we are.  For as many times as I look at other people's houses and think "wow, they have a really nice house", someone can say that about MY house.

We are blessed.  And our home really is nice.  We have four walls that we don't have to share with our neighbors.  We have two bathrooms. (something I've NEVER had before in my life)  We have mostly matching furniture and a beautiful kitchen table that we all fit around during meal times.  We have curtains in our windows, which appears to be a luxury in our neighborhood.  We have beds to sleep on, toys on the shelves (probably too many) and a whole closet full of clothes.  Clean clothes, I might add, because we also have a washer and dryer in our house.

And my kitchen?  In my kitchen we have real plates that match, and a drawer full of silverware and wonderful stainless steel cookware with which I can prepare healthy meals for my family.  But most of all we have a fridge and a pantry and cabinets full of food.  And not just any food.  Good food.  Real food.  Lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains food.

So thank you Jesus for my ugly kitchen.  And forgive me for wanting what isn't mine.  We are blessed.  And we are rich.  We have more than we need.