>I complained heartily when La Petite brought her laundry home at Christmas. Next time, I swore, she would do her own. Then she got sick. Mono, the scourge of college students everywhere, chose her as its next target.
She kept insisting she was doing alright, didn’t need us to visit, she was getting enough rest, her professors were letting her catch up at her own pace, and the works. Then she relented. “I’m feeling exceedingly mono-y now. Can I come home to rest for a few days?” Of course, we said yes.
We wanted her to sleep, rest, and sleep some more, the only real cure for infectious mononucleosis. If she came home, we could handle all the cooking, the house would be quieter than her apartment, and I could (gulp) wash her growing heap of dirty clothes. I’m not a Laundry SuperHero Mom, but I have learned to be efficient and even eco-conscious with large loads of the family clothes.

Not all families are so lucky. I remember when we were young newlyweds and used the laundromat down the road. When La Petite was born, we owned a washer (after saving our pennies and quarters!), but we had no dryer. I hung everything on racks and lines in the basement of our apartment. There are families, though, who don’t even have those options.

That’s where Tide’s Loads of Hope program steps in. The program was born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to assist families displaced by the storm. Tide Loads of Hope helps in the aftermath of a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. Tide Loads of Hope truck or vans, a free mobile laundry service, travel to disaster affected neighborhoods. Hurricanes, floods, you name it, people need to wash their underwear. Taking on one piece of the recovery puzzle helps lighten the load, er, the weight on the shoulders of disaster victims.

In the current disaster, the failing economy, donating to charities is down. But if you can spare a dime, Tide Loads of Hope t-shirts support this worthwhile program. Think about it; the more t-shirts in the dresser, the less often you’ll have to wash!

This Saturday morning as I’m alternating schoolwork with my strategic attack on the family mountain of dirty clothes, I resolve to feel grateful that I have a washer and dryer in the basement and I can deal with this major chore in the comfort of my own home. That in itself takes a load off my mind.