Sunday, April 10, 2011

In Praise of Mariella...

If you are lucky enough to have cleaning help around your home these last few hectic days before Yom Tov, I am here to remind you to appreciate them and be kind to them.

This is not THEIR Yom Tov and yet they do a lot of the heavy work for it. I am frequently astounded at how much my dear cleaning help has learned over the years. This can be problematic for me, since some other homes she works for haven't yet come to the conclusion that dirt is not chometz and I still get a skeptical look or two when I reassure Mariella that she really DOESN'T need to climb up to the top of my bookcases to do a thorough check up there.

I am very blessed to have Mariella come once a week to help me before Shabbos and Yom Tov. But it's moments like the one that occurred last week that truly make me smile.

Mariella approached me to tell me that our vacuum cleaner bag was full. She also conveyed to me that she was hesitant to change it because it seemed a waste, considering the fact that we have to change it again in two weeks.

We changed it, but I couldn't help smiling......

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear you! I would be lost without my Consuello!

ProfK said...

Ditto here for Eugenia. Without her as my extra pair of hands Pesach just might show up in July instead of now. And yes, G6, she works for two other frum women as well, and wonders about some of the differences she sees from one home to the other. Finally found a way to explain it to her referencing her own religion. There are catholics who still don't eat any meat on Friday, only fish, and some that eat meat on Friday. Both are still religious catholics.

Mystery Woman said...

Dirt is not chometz?? Don't tell Irena - please!

BLD said...

I have found that the more you feed them the harder they work.

cuzzin buzzin said...

wow. unlike teenagers, whom the more you feed them the more comatose they become lounging on the couch from all those carbs.

Y W said...

I have my sister in law clean for me.

Anonymous said...

I know this was posted with the best of intentions, but the comment section looks like a listing of ethnicities of the immigrant women (probably poor and/or disadvantaged) who work for them. I know it's not always the case, but to the casual reader it seems like Jewish women don't want to clean up for themselves and deal with it by hiring Hispanic and Eastern European women.

itsagift said...

That's a good one.

It's amazing how much our cleaning help can learn while on the job!