Sam surprised me on my return trip to small town USA by arranging for one of our friends to come over today to clean the house.

I am here. In the house.

I have never in the history of Rhonda had someone else to clean my house for pay, let alone when I am HOME and can sense their horrid realization of our dirtiness.

Mind you, our friend speaks no English other than “Okay,” and “Si.”

I wanted to clean the whole house before Maria arrived. I want to get up from the computer and help Maria clean our dirtiness. It’s not really OUR dirtiness, although it is. It’s the sheetrocker’s dirt, a thick coating of whitish gray dust covering every square inch of everything, which is why Sam insisted on hiring Maria for my benefit.

I took a break before she arrived to clean out the Dollar Store of every can of Pledge. I bought the four cans they had, to go with the one full can here in the cupboard.

It is now the end of the day, hours after I was so nervous. I am still so nervous, and I am fairly certain Maria has used all four cans and is now on #5. I am not exaggerating. Through translation, I told her not to be stingy because there was plenty. She took me serious.

I am grateful for the Dollar Store and plenty of Pledge.

I am grateful for Maria – she has cleaned pretty much every square inch of the house this afternoon, including door frames and window blinds. And 6 ½ hours later, she is still cleaning.

I am grateful that even though we do not speak the same language, she could point to a ladder in the construction zone to tell me she needed a ladder.

I am grateful for Esmerelda, another friend, who has translated back and forth between us today via text messages. What a wonderful world this is with technology that even Rhonda can understand.

I am grateful for my husband who was so kind to me and wanted our home to be clean…for me, and he was so kind to think of Maria, our friend who needs some extra income right now and gave her the opportunity to be kind to Rhonda all at the same time.

I am grateful for my husband who, on a whim, invited a dinner guest tonight because he loves to have company, and so last minute preparation is in progress.

I am grateful for beautiful new dishes from my bosses that are helping entertain our guest this evening, complete with paper towel napkins, red Solo cups and a mishmash of flatware and plasticware, since we are really only set up for Sam and Rhonda at this stage of the transition.

I am grateful for laughter at the table, laughter so good it brings tears, over the sharing of bloated cow stories, pet goats, and a flowered couch for $20 that someone might just need so it becomes a “must buy,” and words tossed around, words like catawampus and hankerin’.

I am grateful to have just heard Sam’s buddy who lives in the city come inside and remark about the incredible starry sky out here in small town USA.

I pledge to be grateful each day. I pledge to laugh at least once, every day. I pledge to take advantage of looking at the brilliance of the night sky in small town USA every night when I am here. I pledge to put these new dishes to work and make my Mama proud. I pledge to not let my nerves get the better of me and keep me from befriending someone who does not speak the same language.

I am grateful for the end of a long day and grateful that I am no longer nervous. I’m pledged out.

It’s already done. Thanks, Maria!