Family time is more important than dishes.
I’m pretty sure that’s a direct quote from a message exchange with my friend Mandy Grounds years ago.
Honestly, just about anyone else could have said that to me back then—and I probably would have rolled my eyes and gone right back to washing dishes anyway.
But Mandy…
Mandy was one of two friends God placed in my life during a season that felt impossible—friends who planted seeds of hope when I couldn’t see past the hurt.
If you know Mandy—or if you’ve ever followed her page, Pearls of Heaven—you know her story. She lost her two younger brothers at the ages of 5 and 7. After my brother, Brody, passed away, Mandy’s mom, Diane, walked closely beside my mom through some very familiar, very heavy days.
I remember going to Mandy’s house one day when Diane was there. And what stood out to me wasn’t just the visit—it was the atmosphere.
Her home was… happy.
She had a joy that was real. Contagious, even.
It was the kind of joy our family had known before Brody’s death—and at the time, I wasn’t sure we would ever feel that way again.
But Mandy had been where I was.
And seeing her joy gave me hope that one day, somehow, joy would find its way back to us too. Psalm 30:5b, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
On my hardest days, I would think about her and remind myself: Don’t quit here. Joy is still possible.
So by the time she sent me that message years later—when I had two little boys, never-ending laundry, dirty dishes piled high, and enough dust on the furniture to write a full ransom note—I knew it wasn’t just a casual comment.
It was truth.
“Family time is more important than dishes.”
And if I’m being transparent… I’ve needed to hear that on repeat lately.
So here’s my disclaimer:
If you come to my house and see a mountain of dishes, piles of laundry, dust on the furniture, weeds in the yard, and a general “don’t mind the mess—we live here” situation…
Mind your business. 😄
Because my time with my boys at home is flying by.
And I want to soak up every minute God gives us.
The dishes will still be there.
But these moments won’t.
I hope you’ll give yourself permission to choose the moments too. 💛