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| Okay,this isn't an actual picture from the sleepover. It's from Christmas. In fact, these aren't the 3 boys that slept over--well some of them are, but I thought this post needed a picture and I didn't get a picture at the sleepover because I was living in the moment. So you get the picture from this picture even though it's not the actual picture, right? |
Okay, this isn't an actual picture from the sleepover. It's from Christmas. In fact, these aren't the 3 boys that slept over--well some of them are but I thought this post needed a picture and do you seriously think I thought to take a picture while I was chasing all three of those boys? Ya, no. But from this picture, you get the picture, right?
I finally got them to the bathroom where the sword fighting continued without swords. Boys. . . They got into their Power Ranger, Spider Man and Paw Patrol pajamas and we made a big bed on the floor. Finally, I fell asleep. Not so sure about them.
In the wee hours of the morning, still in my clothes, with fur growing on my teeth, I woke up. I said a sleepy prayer and stumbled to the bathroom and brushed my teeth.
I went back to sleep but was awakened by the crying 2-year-old who wasn’t sure where he was. I pulled him next to me on the couch and fell back to sleep. For awhile.
At dark thirty, they were all awake and bouncing. We read stories, made pancakes---Mickeys and snowmen which were oohed and ahhed over but not actually eaten. Worn out, the 2-year-old was happy to see his mom when she came to get him.
Having errands, I dressed the other two, washed their faces and did their hair. I am not very good at the mohawk. The 4-year old informed me that if the girls at school saw his hair, they’d laugh.
Driving, I realized that I had not done any of my usual morning things like dress, (I may or may not have been in the clothes I had slept in), shower, brush my teeth, (unless 2:00 a.m. counts), but more importantly say my prayers and read my scriptures. So I said an open-eyed car prayer to the accompaniment of laughing boys comparing fruit snack colors and tried recite a scripture or two in my head.
Then I heard the 5-year-old say, “I’m kind of sad because my grandpa died.” (Not the grandpa that is my husband, in case you are wondering.)
“That is sad I agree.” There was silence as we looked out the windows at the sooty snow and miles of smog.
“There are a lot of dead things,” said the 4-year-old.
“Let’s talk about live things,” I said.
I told them that the leaves would come back on the trees and the grass would turn green again and baby birds would hatch from eggs. “Your grandpa’s body is dead, but his spirit is alive,” I reassured my grandson. I tried to do the hand in the glove lesson only I didn’t have gloves so I’m not sure how well this went.
Then an excited voice from the backseat said, “I remember, I remember! My dad told me that Jesus died and that He came back alive again!”
“That’s right,” I said. “And because Jesus died and came alive again, we can come alive again and so can everyone else!” We talked about Jesus and about how He knows us and loves us.
Then from the backseat again. “I can’t wait to see Jesus and give Him a hug.”
After this conversation I was reminded of something my husband used to counsel when he was bishop. Sometimes people would come to him lamenting whether they should participate in a family activity or do their church work. He would tell them, “Your family is your “church work.”
Sometimes we fill our buckets, put oil in our lamps or whatever metaphor you want to use, and sometimes we share our water or light. Sometimes we go to the temple or fast in the desert and sometimes “we suffer the little children to come.”
Car prayers and scripture thinking cannot sustain a soul just like 5 loaves and 2 fishes can’t feed a multitude, but both are more than enough when given to the Lord. He takes the best that we can offer in the moment and turns it into so much more.
So young moms, old moms, young grandmas, old grandmas and dads and grandpas and uncles and aunts and everyone, stop beating yourselves up for serving your families. Do what you can in the best way that you can whenever you can and trust that God will make it and you enough.
