Each of our children has their beautiful moments, the memories of which I dig for while I'm hanging on the edge of myself. One of our children has been a little challenging lately. And to save him/her future embarrassment, I will leave it at that.
We had a hanging-off-the-edge morning, all of us tired and cranky and unhappy to eat any of the food in the refrigerator. We had one colossal meltdown and a few smaller, easy-to-squelch ones. I started making a list of all the things we need to change to avoid this kind of situation in the future. Dave reeled me in with a, "This is the kind of day we need to get through without any major damage, not the kind of day to make plans for the future."
For some reason, my children behave better outside of the house than inside. Kids vary on this, but this happens to be how mine roll. So we set out to the Apple Fest, our town's annual celebration of the harvest of (drum roll please) apples. It is celebrated with local bands, $7 amusement park rides, and a smorgasbord of craft and food vendors and barely an apple in sight. We laid out clear expectations for behavior, snagged a sweet parking spot in Rebecca and Phil's driveway and headed toward the action.
We lasted several hours and found ourselves in line for a Jamaican dinner. The anticipated meltdown happened and Dave took the Melted Child to the car. When I got to the front of the line, I placed my order and asked if they'd been busy all day.
"Yes, all day." He paused, "It's a blessin'. The good Lord heard my prayer and let the rain hold."
He was so pleasant for a man standing on his feet, serving food to a constant line of people. So not entitled. After I gathered my food and settled myself and two remaining kids on the curb I wondered when when the last time was that I considered my long, hard days of work a blessing. I am one to count my blessings. I cry when I focus on the weight of the goodness that God put in my life. But the work that goes along with it? There is so much more to parenting than taking pictures and fun trips with my children. So much more to marriage than date night and sharing a home. So much more to living in a house I love than relaxing in it. Life is work; it is effort and commitment and doing what needs to be done.
According to the Jamaican man at the Apple Fest (the one who makes incredible fried plantains and beef patties), work is a blessin'. It is God keeping the rain from falling so that we can work all day. I would love to have this attitude. I would love to look at my responsibilities as a blessing, a gift. Especially the ones that involve the guidance of a child who will not behave well. And maybe the ones that involve cleaning it all again and again. And even the ones that are gross or rote or difficult. Can I just thank God that I have the opportunity to do this work? This reminds me of the verse in Colosians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."
Tomorrow I start a new week. I have a lot to do, I imagine that you do too. Let's put on the sunglasses which allow us to see it all as a blessing. I imagine that will make for a more pleasant Monday.
Tomorrow I start a new week. I have a lot to do, I imagine that you do too. Let's put on the sunglasses which allow us to see it all as a blessing. I imagine that will make for a more pleasant Monday.