The day started at 3:45am when my 14 month old awoke. He had a fever two days previous and had been especially testy for the last few days so I wasn’t shocked by the wake-up call. But I didn’t expect that he would stay awake the rest of the night/morning and eventually wake our middle child at 5am and our oldest at 6:30. So by the time the sun was starting to rise I found myself in the living room surrounded by three very cranky kids. Because my husband had retired the previous night saying he felt like he was fighting some bug I really wanted to let him sleep as late as possible . . . but I also wanted to go wake him up and beg from some help too. I was so frustrated, tired, and impatient by this point (did I mention that I am 6 months pregnant?). I was also burdened by the sinking feeling that our family might not be making the two hour trip to attend a family reunion that day that I had been looking forward to. I made myself some tea, turned on a video for the kids, and sat down at the computer to write through some of my emotions and thoughts, an activity I find especially helpful and cathartic when I’m overwhelmed by my circumstances – which I very much was!
At around 8:30 I woke up my husband. I was feeling better than a few hours previous but was still edgy and on the verge of a pity party. I was also ready for a fight, fully expecting my husband to call off our reunion plans. Although he wasn’t thrilled about driving two hours each way with cranky, tired kids (and wife) he didn’t say so much. Rather he was surprised I had let him sleep in so long, and although he wasn’t excited about the state of our kids, he didn’t hassle me about going other than asking pointedly a few times if I was sure it was a good idea. I insisted I wanted to go and he complied by getting in the shower and moving forward with getting ready. I knew he didn’t agree with my choice but since he wasn’t pushing the issue I flung ahead with packing an extra change of clothes (did I mention it had been pouring down rain for about 4-5 hours and the forecast was for it to continue all day – and the reunion was being held outdoors at a park?). I was really dreading trying to contain my 14 month old who was still crawling and would have nothing to do with being held or contained while the other kids ran around the soaking wet grass . . .
The beginning of redemption was when my husband got out of the shower and casually asked if I had read our daily devotional calendar in the bathroom yet. I said no and asked why (expecting it to say something that inferred we shouldn’t go or about living with a wife who was a dripping faucet, something chastising for sure). So imagine my surprise when I went in and read the following words: “A good spirit attracts friends.” My heart immediately warmed and my step felt lighter. It was crazy that those five words could have such an effect! I gave my husband a kiss on the cheek and told him how much that meant to me. He made me smile even broader when he responded, “It’s true, you do have a good spirit and that’s why you have so many good friends.” Getting out of the house an hour later than I had hoped no longer frustrated me so much.
As we pulled out of our driveway and headed to the nearest gas station to fill up I decided to call my sister who had left town 45 minutes earlier to hear how traffic was (it was Saturday of Labor Day weekend). She informed me that they were currently driving 25 mph on I-5 and had been that way for quite some time. My heart sank. But stubborn me still insisted on filling up and moving forward. At the last stoplight before the highway on-ramp I decided I really should pray about the situation (I hadn’t yet). I forced myself to close my eyes and ask God to show me what was best for our family. I immediately knew the right decision. I hated to voice it, but with the rain beating down and the reality of a 2 hour drive taking closer to 3 or more I knew that what I wanted was not what was best for my family. I shocked my husband by telling him that we weren’t going to go to the reunion. He asked what made me decide that. I said I prayed about it. He asked if God told me not to go. Not in those exact words I told him, but yes God had made it clear that going was not what was best for my family. At my husband’s suggestion we headed the opposite direction on the highway and went to our local mall that has a great indoor playground for kids. We sat together talking lightly enjoying the joyful noise of our kids playing.
After an hour of play we headed home and enjoyed a nice lunch together before taking much-needed naps. My husband let me snooze away for close to two hours while he took our youngest (who woke early because of a dirty diaper) for an hour walk to keep the house quiet. I was refreshed and grateful when I woke up. A few minutes later my sister called to inform me that we had made the right decision to stay home since the reunion had really only lasted an hour and a half due to the rain and that they were already on their way home. I was still sad to have missed out on seeing my relatives but I was even more confident now in the decision I had made and the conviction I believe God had given me.
The nap was enough to redeem the rest of the afternoon but my husband added icing to the cake when he offered to take our 14 month old with him to run some errands while I worked on dinner. During his hour and a half away I was able to leisurely prepare two meals, two desserts, and an assortment of cooked veggies for our youngest (enough cooking to last at least 2 days, maybe more). Our older two children played together happily the whole time occasionally taking breaks to check in on me and “help” as well as set the table when I asked (OK, it did take a few times of asking, but they did do it!). By the time my husband returned my whole outlook on my life had shifted completely from what it had been in the morning. And to top it all off my husband surprised me by buying a half gallon of my favorite ice cream, Breyer’s Natural Bean Vanilla, to go with the brownies and apple crisp I had made. This act of love spoke volumes since we cut ice cream out of our budget back in January when we had taken a hard look at our finances and realized we had to cut all excess out in order to keep from living on credit. After another enjoyable family meal and some playtime we put the kids to bed, snuggled up on the couch, enjoyed our brownies and ice cream, and watched the beginning of “Pearl Harbor” (it was too long to watch the whole thing in one setting, a great excuse to cuddle up again tonight for another “date”!). When I closed my eyes for the night I couldn’t help but smile and feel thankful for a day that had started so crummy and ended so well.
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