You know the old adage "Time waits for no man"? I have definitely been reminded of the truth to that statement this week! It was supposed to be a week to get caught up, since Josh was off work on Monday & we had no small group Tuesday because of the holiday. I am not only not caught up, but I am even further behind! I have felt at my wit's end on more than one occasion, but when I look seriously at the situations they are really nothing that I should "lose my religion" over, as my dad used to say ; ) !!!!
It started with the ER visit on Tuesday. Then we had the ENT visit on Wednesday, which wouldn't have been that big of deal, but Elias was home sick with a cold, so Josh had to take time off of work to watch him. That is really difficult right now because he has been really overwhelmed at his job lately. Then we had to take Elias to practice soccer, not only because he had missed his soccer practice Monday because of the holiday, but because he was really disappointed that we didn't get to go on Tuesday night because of the ER visit. Then yesterday, we were having a social night for the youth small group we lead and Josh had to run out at lunch, between a day full of meetings to get the food and supplies. I stayed home and went loony watching two stir-crazy kids, caring for Bella's ear, keeping up with Elias' medications and breathing treatments, while trying to make desserts and clean up the house - and did I mention I had to pick up and help Elias with his make-up homework for school? The dessert making was one mishap after another - I forgot the peanut butter in the pudding, the chocolate topping solidified too soon while I went off to assist the kids with something, etc. Then I got a call from the sitter, who was sick and couldn't watch the kids during youth small group. Josh got home and we were down to the last minute trying to get something for dinner and get the games and food ready. In the end, the dessert tasted the same & the social night was still fun and the kids had a blast being part of it. After everyone left, Josh began working on stuff for work and I started going through my e-mail inbox, which was full of things that needed attention. After a while the internet stopped working. Josh worked for about 30 minutes trying to diagnose the problem with no avail, so he decided that he was too tired to do anymore work anyway and we would just go to bed. That is when he realized that he had Bible study at 6 a.m. this morning, he didn't have his homework for it done, and it was already midnight. So, as we got into bed at 1 a.m., he set his clock for 4:45 and I set mine for 6:45, because I was planning on sending Elias to school today. As I got the kids and myself ready this morning, Elias still had a lingering cough, so I decided that since he had already missed two days, it would defeat the purpose of keeping him home in the first place if I sent him back before he was completely well. So I decided that we would go out on the rails and trails, since Elias doesn't really feel bad & he's getting antsy. I was supposed to pick up Elias' soccer uniform from his coach today, so I called & told him we would stop over on our way out. We went into his coaches' office for all of 5 minutes & when we came out, the van wouldn't start! I was in my gym clothes, no make-up, my hair up in a wild ponytail on top of my head, not really planning on going many places where people would see me. So, I called Josh to see what I should do, since this was the second time it wouldn't start in about a month's time. We decided I would call roadside assistance, since we pay for it anyway and have never used it, we were in a safe place, in no hurry, on a nice day, and Josh couldn't really take more time off at work - if I had to test our roadside assistance plan, today would be the best day! He joked that I better get off the phone before my cell battery died as well. So I call roadside assistance and when I finally made it through all the automated system and was finally talking to someone, my cell phone turned off and then back on for no apparent reason - ending my call with roadside assistance. It was completely unbelievable. I had to laugh at the irony of it! Luckily, the roadside assistance had my number on Caller ID and called me right back. So we waited there for about 45 minutes for the tow truck to come. The kids entertaining themselves by using the van seats as a jungle gym. The man came, started the van, told me not to turn it off until I got a new battery, and left. So I told the kids to get into the car so we could leave. About that time, a yellow jacket decides he's going to take up residence in the van. Why he couldn't have decided to be an annoyance during the 45 minute wait, instead of waiting until we could actually have left, I do not know. So my kids are screaming and running around the van like they are getting attacked by a mob and I am trying to coax this stubborn little pest out of the van - going as far as trying to seduce him out by holding up the juice boxes we had brought for after we walked the trail. He finally flew out, I told the kids to jump in, but before the door shut all the way, that nuisance flew back in. I had finally had enough and I swatted at him, not caring anymore if I got stung. I actually hit him and knocked him...somewhere. Since I wasn't sure where he actually went, whether it was inside or outside the van, I was not sure if buckling my kids into the van, so they would be captive bait for him was wise. So we looked for him and sat and waited for about 2-3 minutes to assure he was gone and then we made our way to the auto parts store. To our great luck, they had the battery we needed and they could install it. By the time we left, we had to go to the bathroom and we were all hungry, so we had to come home for lunch before going to the trails. We have a busy weekend ahead of us too and I am praying that we have no more unexpected occurrences.
But as I was driving home from the auto parts store, I just had to smile and sing the song "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". Why not? We were not in a horrific accident. We do not have to go without a car even for one day. If we were going to be broke down, today was a beautiful, perfectly temperatured day to do it. Bella's ear is healing and Elias is on the mend and in a couple weeks, these ailments will be history. Getting upset about all the craziness this week would only make me and everyone around me unhappy, so why bother. I am blessed beyond measure and if all I have to deal with are some stitches, a cold, a busy schedule, and a dead battery, then I am very fortunate. I may have lost a lot of time (and money) this week, but getting irritated about it won't bring it back. "Time waits for no man". Life moves on, whether we are ready for it or not. It reminds me of when kids play on a playground merry-go-round. There is always that one kid who is pushing and gets knocked over when it gets going too fast. Sometimes in life, we are the ones sitting happily enjoying the ride and sometimes we are that unfortunate kid who just got knocked around because things got a little out of control for him. This week, I feel like I am that kid, but I am still going to grab the bar and try it again. What fun is just sitting out watching the ride go around?
...Now I am off to Washington, PA, for a Compassion concert where I hope many children who have been knocked around a lot by life will find loving sponsors who will take the time to get off the ride of life a little to help these little ones up on!
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