Hiding Our Imperfections

I've begun having a small "Mom Lunch" on Wednesdays.  I've invited three moms with children still at home to come to a kid-friendly lunch where we can eat and visit and not worry about the kids running around.  I've done three, and so far, they have all been great.  It has been so fun to sit and chat and get to know the sisters in my ward better.  I hope those who are coming are liking it too.

I have found that I can get my house tidied up quite nicely, especially if my cleaning friends have come the day before, but I haven't gotten the dirty dishes cleaned before I've had to start working on food.  So I've just hidden away the dirties, presenting a clean kitchen where only a short time before there was a mess.  Last week I piled a bunch of stuff in the dishwasher, knowing I wasn't going to run the dishwasher with half of the stuff that was in it.  Before that, when I didn't have to use the oven, I hid them there.  Today, I carried a cookie sheet full of dirties into the laundry room.  I welcomed two sisters and their kids for lunch, and the kitchen looked great. 

But I've been wondering if it wouldn't have been better to just leave the dirty dishes out, on the counter or on the sink.  It would have been a truer representation of my life and my comfort level with a bit of disorder.  Would it have made the two sisters who were here actually feel more comfortable that I'm just a normal person with dirty dishes?  Would it have been better to show my imperfections?  I'm seriously NOT perfect in most every way.  I'm struggling with various issues, there are days when I'm a bit lazy and don't want to make much of an effort at anything, and when I'm entirely content letting it all go.  I try to be genuine in my interactions with people, non-judgmental, accepting of others where they are.  As I go into my sister's homes as I visit with them, I want them to be comfortable with my presence and not feel like I am looking around critically, either of them or their homes.  I want them to feel my love.  Love from an imperfect person trying to do good.  And maybe having my dirty dishes on display would be tangible evidence that I'm working on life, just like everyone else.  I don't have it all together, and that's okay.  Progress is good, we're working towards perfection, but it continues to be a work in progress.

Maybe next week I'll leave the dirty dishes in the sink.

Dirty dishes hiding in the laundry room.