Lord, Please Meet Me In The Laundry Room

Book Review
Author – Barbara Curtis

Lord, Please Meet Me In The Laundry Room is a book full of motherly advice. And, being a Mother of 12 children, Barbara has the ability to give that advice. Barbara not only has 12 children, but 4 of those are Down Syndrome children, one being her natural son, and the other 3 are adopted.

I thought this book would be one of humor, full of all the little anecdotes that you usually get in a book with this title, but quickly found out this was not the case. With only two children, I can hardly imagine all the things that went on around the Curtis home, with 12 children. As the years went by, I am sure she, as most Mothers, longed for a place to be alone at times. Barbara found the Laundry Room to be her getaway – the place where she could meet God any time of the day or night. And, she was usually there any time of the day or night! Washing clothes, folding clothes, and ironing for a household like hers will give her ample time to pray and listen to God in the Laundry room.

Barbara was a Mother long before she became a Christian. When she became a believer, she quickly signed up for a Bible study. She found that she needed a ‘prayer closet’, and she had hoped to find one within the bounds of her home. But, one day, as she was praying for one in her laundry room, she heard, “Aren’t you praying now?” That is how she found her quiet time with the Lord – through those 10-20 minute intervals folding or washing clothes.

This is not a quickly read book, although I might have read it in a day, had I stayed with it. But, it is an actual life story of how faith and Motherhood work together. Barbara takes you through trials and errors, every day living with her husband and children. In her early days of becoming a Christian, she said she had always heard that God didn’t give you more than you could handle. But, I am sure that was sort of hard to swallow, not being a woman who had grown up with the Bible, or well-versed in what God had to say about the issues.

One incident in the book really stood out in my mind. It was one with her then 7 year old Jasmine. Jasmine’s school was having a school fair. She was elated, and came home to announce to her Mother that she wanted her to make this elaborate cake. The first words out of Barbara’s mouth was, “Honey, I’m just not that kind of Mother”. I felt a twinge in my heart, when I read those words. I could see the disappoint in the eyes of Jasmine. I truly believe this is when Motherhood must have taken on a new meaning for Barbara. She thought about the un-involvement of her own Mom in her life, and now she was starting to repeat the cycle. The feminist movment had inplanted into her mind that womanly chores was to be looked down upon, and then there was her own Mom’s lack of concern. She quickly decided to get involved, even though she knew she might make a mess. She realized she could be come any kind of Mom she wanted to become. It just took time, effort, and a willingness to go that extra mile. And, she learned obedience to God through this incident. When He asks you to ‘go that extra mile’, be assured He will go there with you.

This is a book I highly recommend. My children are grown now, but I have grandchildren. I see my daughter going through all these little things a Mom goes through, having four children of her own. It’s a taxing experience, having to work every day, since she’s a single Mom, but I’ve never heard her regret having one of those children, nor regretting doing all she can to make each of them special. And, Barbara, with her 12, seems to have made it just fine through Motherhood. Her children seem to have learned lots of lessons, one being, ‘you can do anything’, if you put your heart and mind to it. One thing was their insistence that they adopt the last child with Downs Syndrome that Barbara was heard to have turned down. Through their encouragement, one more loving child was added to the family. And, she now thanks God for that sweet ‘little extra’.

You may also enjoy reading more from Barbara Curtis by going to her blog, MommyLife.

This book was given to me by Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, through Active Christian Media, as a reviewer, free of charge. I am, in no way, compensated for this.

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