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.
today,
m
Love love love the fact that you are so very real! Some days are just ugly but God is good to redeem what we have made a mess of. Keep up that parenting!!
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