Yesterday

Yesterday was a terrible, no-good, rotten, stinkin’ day. 

The kids did not even attempt to listen or show respect to any of my too many words.  Their little bodies mocked my efforts to teach them with constant movement including pinching each other during math, poking during bible study, and jokes of the lowest humor ill-timed as if specifically designed to make me really, really mad. 

As for their minds…totally absent.  I don’t think those kids learned a single thing yesterday.  As a matter of fact, I don’t think they even used their brains yesterday.

This was very frustrating.

I would love to tell you how I performed a miracle of parenting and brought them calmly back to a learning state of mind, successfully saving the day and pouring love and understanding into the little treasure chests of their heart.

I dumped stuff into their hearts alright.  Dumped a whole bunch of stuff into their memories too.

It wasn’t pretty.

At one point I vaguely remember transforming into something big and ugly, not unlike a dragon breathing hateful fire onto three of the most amazing people I know.  I am sure my words were not helpful and certainly not of any use.  The only thing that I might have done right is to stop school and send everyone off to do their chores until I could shed some scales and stop exhaling smoke.  I am supposed to shepherd them but where did I lead them yesterday?  Oh my, it hurts to remember.

So I ask…what do I do now? 

What can redeem a day like that?

Nothing can erase my ugly actions or the impact that their misbehavior had on those hours.  But what we did is no longer the point…now I ask, what can redeem a day like that?

The day was redeemed and by simple things…

We prayed more.

B came home and took that little pack of kids away and he fathered them.  He took them by his side and was just with them.  I took a walk…a few miles in fact.

I was desperately thirsty to read the Word because I desperately needed it.

We were thankful for big burgers and the provision to buy them…in other words TAKE OUT!

Boys at scouts and s’mores, that begins to redeem a day.

Two girls sittin’ on a bed, one big, one little, just being who they are and laughing.

Extra hugs that might not have happened given from a boy who said, “Mom, you need some love.”

These are things that can redeem days like that because all days are blessed and good things grew out of the mess that was yesterday.

Today we woke with a new, beautiful day to start over and we did.  The kids and I talked about yesterday, driving down the road.  Apologies were given, responsibility taken.  Then we decided that we were taken over by aliens.  Robert said it was legal to do that, legal to decide that you had been taken over by an alien.  Legal to apologize and legal to start over.

Indeed.  It is good to start over when you have been forgiven, redeemed.

today,

m