The Carpet Sweeper

You'll always learn something new if you keep an open mind.  That is something my father-in-law inadvertently taught me.

When I was newly married, my father-in-law gave me a carpet sweeper.

If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't impressed by that carpet sweeper.  It wasn't shiny, although it was new.  I couldn't wear it or hang it on the wall for art.  It didn't have any frills and wasn't even powered by electricity!  It was a plain carpet sweeper. It didn't appeal to my newly married self who wanted the fancy vacuum cleaners and state of the art blenders.  I thanked him for the carpet sweeper and promptly lost it in the back of a closet. 

Then one day as I was cleaning out the closet I came across the carpet sweeper still in it's box.  I was a bit older, with at least one child to call me mom.  The carpet sweeper seemed a bit shinier to me.  Hmmm.  I could see the functionality in this item now.  I could actually clean all the after dinner crumbs from below my toddler's high chair without dragging out that big fancy vacuum.  I could do a couple quick push-pulls, walk to the garbage and dispose of the crumbs in the time it would take to plug in that noisy old vacuum cleaner.

I opened the box and assembled the handle, attached it to the sweeper and gave it a try.  I wondered at my father-in-law's wisdom in giving such a gift.  I smiled and wondered why I hadn't used it before then.

I still use that manually powered, plain, no-frills carpet sweeper today.  Just pulled it out to efficiently and joyfully clean-up the after dinner crumbs from my four children.  Every time I use this wonderful, plain, beat-up carpet sweeper, I think of my father-in-law.  I think of his years on this earth and the wisdom that comes from experience.  He is the father of four himself.  He knows all about the messes kids can make before you even turn around.  He helped his wife care for them and clean-up after them and he knew.  He knew the carpet sweeper would be a perfect gift for his son's wife.  You'll always learn something new if you keep an open mind and your house may just be tidier too.  Thank you Jerry!