Mama said...

Mama said there would be days like this. And now I believe her.

It started out with a bang when my potty trained 3 yr. old had an accident in his pants. NOT the good kind. He has not had an accident like this since he was potty trained. He must've been a little embarassed, because by the time I found the poor little fella he had tried to clean himself up with baby sister's baby wipes.... and it was not NOT pretty. No siree. AND there was a certain material tracked all over the carpet from his little feet. Sigh. By the time I got the whole mess cleaned up, baby sister was missing. I found her in my bathroom in the middle of all of my makeup. I found all of my brushes/combs/hair products in the bathtub. I found all of the toilet paper that was on the roll- you guessed it- on the floor. Another sigh. After conquering yet another mess, I realized we were late to meet my friend A. for lunch. We race out the door, meet A., and I realize I have forgotten the diaper bag. Lovely. Lunch was surprisingly uneventful except for Andrew getting a huge scratch on his chin from "wrestling" with another little boy on the playground. Tears quickly abated, however, with the arrival of an ice cream cone. Crisis avoided.

We proceeded on to the grocery store after lunch, and I realize that Miss Anna Kate is soaking wet. Yep, the diaper has leaked and now my arm smells like baby teetee (remember the diaper bag that got left at home... yeah.) I soldier on into the store because I must. My friend P. and I had volunteered to take a meal to a church member, and I was missing a key ingredient for my recipe. We secured the goods (along with some more diapers) and headed to the parking lot. I look down and realize one of baby girls BRAND NEW little mary janes is gone. At this point I want to sit in the car with my head on the steering wheel and cry. CRY, I tell you. And then it starts raining. Hard. I say a quick "help me please, Father" prayer, and one of the bag boys from the store comes rushing up to me, little shoe in hand. "Ma'am, I think you dropped this".
Let's just say I gave him a biggest tip he probably got all day.
Very grateful, I was.

Home again and time to start up the ol'stove. I had the church member's meal to cook, and ours, so I got busy. The kids napped peacefully, I played my favorite Christmas CD and lit a candle.
After getting dinner out of the oven I realized I was out of foil to cover the casserole with. Thank goodness for sweet neighbors.

While on the way to drop the meal off, I had a nagging feeling I had forgotten something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though. I pondered it for a while, then forgot it, then realized after I got back home that I had forgotten to, ummm, you know pay bills. Mind you, this is NOT something I ordinarily do, so it is not part of my routine. Since Andy is gone, however, it is obviously necessary that I do it. I frantically got them out and paid them, got caught up, etc. And finished them at, yeah, about 11 pm. At this point, my kitchen is still a mess, laundry is calling my name, and I still have a to do list that is undone. The kitchen does get cleaned, I make a dent in the laundry.... but the to-do list? Well, it didn't quite get done.

But you know what? This is my life, and I love it. The good days, the bad days, the hard days, the sad days, the happy days, and the "where is my mind" days.
This is the life I wanted. The life I prayed for. It's all part of being a wife, a mommy, and a child of God. And as much as I wish my husband was right here right now with me, I have a tremendous responsibility to fulfill while he is gone. He has entrusted our life, our children, our future to me. And I don't intend to let him down. So I'll keep on keeping on knowing the Savior who holds my hand will never leave me or forsake me. He is beside me in every step. It is He who is putting the "steel" behind my being a steel magnolia. I am trying to learn to be content whatever my circumstances.... a hard lesson? You'd better believe it is. But I am so thankful to be learning it.

Yes, Mama said there would be days like this.

Blessed be your name when the sun's shining down on me,
When the world' s all as it should be,
Blessed be your name.

Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering,
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be your glorious name.

(Matt and Beth Redman)

Happy Friday and
Much Love,
Jennifer