MATTY THE WELCOME MAT
By JANE NELSON
Copyright 2015
Matty was a little welcome mat lying on a shelf in a store with all the other mats. Matty saw all the other mats getting bought and taken to their new homes. Little by little all the other mats was sold.
Then one day a young couple came in looking of a welcome mat for their new home. The couple was very happy Matty was just what they were looking for. They thought his colors would be a lovely match for their new home.
They took Matty home and laid him on their new wooden porch right against the front door where everyone could see him. Matty thought he must have the best spot on the property. Although people would walk on him every day and he would get dirt on him, he did not mind because he knew he was doing a good job.
In the beginning people would comment on his colors and how friendly he looked. Little by little Matty would get dirty. When he was quite dirty one day the lady of the house picked him up and took him inside. He had never seen the inside of the house before. It was a nice treat for him. She took him to the laundry room and put him inside the washing marching with some soap. When she turned the machine on it began to fill with warm water. Matty thought the warm soapy water felt good as it washed all the dirt off him. He floated around and around in the machine.
When the washer stopped the lady took him out to the back yard and hung him on the clothes line to dry. Weeeeeeee Matty thought as he swung from the line in the breeze. The warm air felt good as it dried all the water out of Mattys fibers.
When Matty was nice and dry the lady came and got him. She took him back to the front porch and again laid him down by the door. Matty had a very busy day and he went to sleep when he got back to his place of honor.
The next day it started all over again people coming people going day after day and every so often Matty would get to ride in the washer and swing from the line. His nap began to grow thinner and weaker with age. He did not look as nice as he once did.
The day finally came when the man and the woman that owned the house decided it may be a good idea to get a new more modern mat for the front door. They went out and bought a new mat made of lighter material. They put the new mat in Mattys place at the front door, and took Matty around to the back door where he could not see all the new people and they could not see him.
Matty laid there for weeks. Then one day a really bad storm came up with a lot of bad winds. Branches in the back yard bent. Garbage blew everywhere , but Matty stuck tight to the back porch. The new mat was not doing so well. He was too light for the winds that blew that day. With one strong gusty wind the new mat was lifted up high into the air and blown far away from the little house. Never to be seen again.
When the winds stopped the owners of the house realized their new mat was gone. They went to the back of the house and got Matty. They put him back on the front porch where he had laid for all those years. Matty smiled a content smile. He knew even if you are not the prettiest or the best anymore if you are strong and reliable it makes you better then something new that you cannot count on to be where it is needed when it is needed.
Mattys owners learned that just because something looks pretty and is new does not mean it will be the best thing you can have,if it cannot do its job all the time.
