I fill the tub with hot, steamy water and lavender scented bubbles
I can enjoy a hot, bubble bath whenever I’ve a mind to
But I remember when I was a little girl
Back when Mama and Daddy and all seven of us kids
Lived under one roof
and all shared that one little bathroom off the kitchen
Baths were a once a week Saturday night ritual back then
Weekdays we would take what Mama called a spit bath
Washing up before bed with a washcloth, a bar of Ivory soap, and some water in the sink
But Saturday nights we got the full meal deal, a whole body bath in the tub
So we would all be spic and span for Sunday School the next day
I guess to save on the hot water
Two or three of us would use the same bath water
Before the tub was emptied and filled back up
I remember that all over clean feeling
Of those Saturday night baths
And the feel of those clean, soft, flannel pajamas, sewn by my mama
And the feel of the crisp, fresh air scented sheets, that Mama had washed that morning
And hung on the clothesline for the wind to blow dry
I remember the feel of the heavy, homemade quilts on top of me
and the sound of the rain on the roof overhead
And whenever I think of that clean, cozy, Saturday night feeling
I think, that is exactly what it feels like
When Jesus comes and washes your heart clean
All clean and happy and safe and warm
Just like those long ago Saturday nights
Still following,
Elizabeth
this week’s Simple Pleasure~
a nice, hot, bubble bath!
Lovely photo, it looks so inviting and I can smell the lavender. I can't imagine only having one proper bath a week. I am so thankful to have water for baths whenever someone in the family feels like it.
ReplyDeleteYou could have been writing about my childhood bath time only there was nine of us.
ReplyDeleteYou told the story very well.
Smiles,
Dottie
"feel of the crisp, fresh air scented sheets"...how beautiful to parallel this Breath of Heaven clean with JESUS'salvation clean!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, Elizabeth. I love bubble baths, too, and what a great simple pleasure, one often taken for granted. The way you wove the story of your childhood together was also a simple pleasure for your readers. So glad to see you at the party.
ReplyDeleteYou have taken me back to my childhood. In the winter on bath night my mother would warm the towel by the open fire to wrap around us. So like the heart of the Father.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this. You made the whole experience sound so absolutely wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOh, you made my yesteryears return so easily! What wonderful shared memories of simpler days :-)Yes, Jesus does make us clean and safe, happy and warm! How beautiful Elizabeth! Thank you.. Trish
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the sweetest pieces I
ReplyDeletethink I've ever read and so very similar
to my own upbringing only my precious
parents had eight children. And, yes,
that really is how it feels when sweet
Jesus comes and washes our hearts clean.
This has just made my day. Thank you.
AHHHHHHHHH! Lavender~this is a wonderful Simple Pleasure. Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories and your love for HIM!
ReplyDeleteJoining you at Dayle's. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I'm still loving this song!!!!
Oh Elizabeth, you did it again!!! You just took me on the most wonderful trip down memory lane. How well I remember the "spit baths" and also the time spent sharing the Saturday night bath with a sister or two. How much fun we made of it! My mother would have to heat tea kettles full of water to keep it warm. You write so well and always make me smile right down in my heart.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this!
And yes, I think it is so much like the way we feel when Christ washes us clean.
What a wonderful and lovely illustration, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteLoved your simple pleasure ...........JESUS gets us whiter than snow each day fresh and new !!!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful! My 90-year-old mother talks about 'spit baths' when I express concern that she's not bathing regularly....even with a stool and a hand shower unit. "Oh, when I was growing up, we had spit baths all the time!" "Yes, Mother, but you have heated running water now!" (Actually, I remember 'baths' in a galvanized tub inside the shower stall when my 4 siblings and I were growing up.)
ReplyDeleteThis was a simple pleasure for me to read. I also came from a big family (I'm the youngest of 8) and bath night was Saturday night in our house too! Every other night a wipe down all over with the flannel was what we got. Those were the days....
ReplyDelete