Well it is now 3pm, and I am finally sitting down to eat my lunch. I mean, it is a plate of loaded french fries and an Earl Grey Latte(can anyone say yum!), but it's taken me a lot longer to sit down and eat than I would have liked. For all of my readers who are Mommas, I'm sure you know exactly what that is like.... Or more likely you are shaking your head because those days of finally eating lunch at 3pm for you never include loaded french fries.... It's more likely a PBnJ and the last crumbs of your personal bag of chips that the toddler found and demolished behind the couch before you even knew he was missing. Come on, you're all free to be real here.
But in all honesty, I have quite pleasant reasons for being this late in eating lunch. Sure, there were dishes to do and Mini Me wouldn't lay down nice for a nap, and in all honesty my fries are reheated from the supper I didn't end up eating till 9pm last night. But I got a late start on that because I had a very interesting and encouraging morning.
It started as usual, with me hitting my snooze about about 4 too many times(thankful I only have a 5 minute snooze, and not a 15 minute one), my usual groggy morning time in my war room, and overthinking what could have happened to a husband who was late at arriving home and didn't respond to my morning text.
It then began to slowly improve, as my husband prayed with me when he got home(you have no idea how incredibly huge that is right now), my grandmother called to check on me and decided to come to church with us on Sunday, and a couple nice people in the gas station chatted with me about the life of young motherhood as they applauded my effort.
Then we ended up at this new park we found that my boys and I really enjoy. Tons of shade, very little bugs, and a volleyball court right next to the playground that no adults are ever using on a weekday morning so the sand is free for small children to delight in. My mother called to ask me about Snickerdoodles(the cookie I make best and is also her favorite), and I chatted with her for almost an hour about life, children, and the wonderful changes God has been doing in my marriage. Apparently another mother overheard my conversation, and while I was still on the phone handed me a paper for the local MOPS group.
I got off the phone shortly after and went up to this lady with pleasant surprise. I had just been looking into MOPS(a Christian group for moms and kids) a couple days before, and was delighted to find that this woman was the head of the local chapter. We had a wonderful chat, and I was so happy to hear that the group is meeting through the summer, as I have really needed a Mom outlet, and really didn't want to wait till the fall.
I was greatly encouraged by this, as this woman seemed genuine in reaching out to me and quite eager to see me and my boys again soon. I couldn't wait to finish my errands and get home so I could tell my hubby when he woke up. Little did I know that in this spirit of being blessed, God was setting me up for a work He had for me.
I was able to see this truth from Second Corinthians played out less than an hour later. I had just one errand left; picking up a couple books at the library in order to do some research for my husband. And like a lot of libraries, my local library has a floor for children, and a floor for adults. So I was pulling the books off of the shelf, and trying to keep MiniMe quiet, as I didn't want him bothering any of the college students or adults who were scattered around reading and/or studying. I had just finished getting my books and was starting to head back to the elevator to go back to the exit when MiniMe started to kind of yell at me in a bossy manor.
So I got down close to him and asked in a quiet voice "who is the not the boss?"
"Me. I the boss of dominoes." he said(we've been teaching him he's not the boss of people, but he is in charge of any inanimate objects he is trying to manipulate).
"That's right. But you are not the boss of Mommy. Mommy is in charge, and you need to be quiet so we don't bother people."
"Ok."
I had just finished this conversation and had again started pushing my stroller out when a woman I was passing looked up from her laptop and asked me "How old is your little guy?"
I pointed to MiniMe and asked "that one?"
"Yes."
I told her how old he was and she said "Oh, ok, I was just asking because when you were talking to him about being the boss, it reminded me of my son." And she told me that he was a few months younger than MiniMe. Then she said "He doesn't listen, he's so independent."
This made me smile and I said "Personally, I prefer the independent ones." She looked at me like I was crazy, but I continued. "Because that means that they can think for themselves. That is something to be praised about them since so many children and adults can't think for themselves anymore. I completely agree that the independent ones are very hard to raise when they are little, but if you keep at it and stay faithful, those children will be incredible adults who can make wise decisions because they were raised and allowed to think for themselves."
I saw this look cross her face, where I could tell she had been greatly encouraged by that thought, and I felt a nudge of the Holy Spirit. "Hey, I know this is probably a little weird," I said "But would you like my number? I would be happy to answer any questions you have."
She nodded enthusiastically and reached for her phone. As she typed in my number I reassured her quickly that I had grown up around tons of kids and worked with kids and had a lot of experience because of my job, and that the advice I gave was not just off of my limited amount of years as a mother.
After she had my number we chatted a little more about a couple things she was struggling with with her son, and then I told her I should go and get my boys down for naps. But she had already texted with a question before I left, and as soon as I was home I texted her back.
I just wanted to share with you all that if you are involved in ministry, if you feel called to help someone, if you are serving in any capacity including just your own home, that God will equip you with exactly what you need. Sometimes it is a blessed morning that puts you in the perfect state of mind. Sometimes it is the trials of dealing with a very independent toddler. Sometimes it is that podcast you listened to that reminded you to be a faithful mother, not a perfect one.
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