by

This Tooth Fairy Almost Lost Her Wings

“Watch and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.”              Habakkuk 1:5

     Mason lost a tooth last Friday at school.  There’s nothing more exciting for a seven year old than to get one of those little plastic treasure boxes that the school nurse hands out to store teeth in, plus the promise of a visit from the Tooth Fairy!
     On my end, I had just driven to Brooklyn, NY and back for the wake and funeral of a friend’s father.  Needless to say, I was exhausted, physically and emotionally.  But when Mason showed me his tooth and the treasure chest, I gave him a big hug and an envelope.  I watched him painstakingly write his note to the Tooth Fairy on the outside of the envelope, put his tooth inside it, and then seal it.  (The Tooth Fairy that visits our house has a hard time finding tiny little teeth under pillows.  So we help her out by putting them in legal sized envelopes, with loves notes written on them.)  I then put on the movie for “Family Movie Night” to distract my kids, and snuck into my bathroom to put a dollar bill beside the sink as a reminder to myself to make a visit that night.
     Five minutes into the movie, the six hour drive each way to Brooklyn and back hit me.  I was out like a light.  I only roused myself enough to put the kids to bed when the movie was over, then fell into bed myself.  I was so tired, I never even used the bathroom, something a mom who has delivered three babies NEVER does!
     When I stepped out of the shower the next morning, I saw the dollar bill beside my sink.  My heart plummeted.  How could I have forgotten?  What was I going to do?  As I played through the different stories I could use to cover over my mistake, I prayed.  I prayed to God to help me find a way to avoid smashing the dreams and fantasies of a little boy because I was too tired to follow through.  I prayed to the Holy Spirit for the right words to keep the illusion in tact, without actually lying.  And I prayed for a miracle:  an opportunity for a “do-over” to get it right this time.
     As I carried some dirty laundry into his room as a ruse to cover over the dollar bill in my hand, I bumped right into Mason.  He greeted me with his usual chipper “Good morning Mommy!”  I hugged him, holding my breath.  He had been up for over an hour and I was sure I was busted.  But, lo and behold, there was no mention of the Tooth Fairy, or the absence of a dollar bill beneath his pillow.  I was stunned!  What seven year old forgets about the Tooth Fairy and the money coming his way?
     Before it could occur to him, I sent him downstairs on some random errand.  I picked up his pillow, grabbed the envelope, placed the dollar bill beneath the pillow, and ran to put the envelope in my “memory box” before he could see.  Just minutes later, as I was preparing breakfast, I heard, “I can’t believe I forgot!” followed by the patter of his feet running up the stairs to his room.  He came running back down with the dollar bill in his hand and a big smile on his face.
     I know most people think of miracles as the big stuff:  blind people regaining their site, walking away from a terrible car crash unscathed, cancer patients getting a clean bill of health.  All of those things are phenomenal, and I pray for them all the time.  But I can’t really express the gratitude I felt to God that morning for my miracle:  an opportunity to erase my mistake, a chance to get it right so that a young boy could keep his innocence, and his belief in the magic of childhood.  It’s times like these that I am reminded again how amazing God is, and how lucky I am that He is a God of the little things, as well as the big.
 Posted by at 2:33 PM

1 comment:

  1. What a great little miracle! We have a pretty awful tooth fairy who visits our house. She has gotten stuck in snowstorms and had many other close calls. But at the end of the day she gets the job done 🙂

by

The Ring Around My Toilet Bowl

In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold… Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”      Ephesians 4:26-27, 29
2014 April 104     I have this persistent ring around the toilet bowl in my upstairs bathroom that just won’t go away.  I’m not sure if it’s because of the harsh water here in New Hampshire (there’s a reason why it’s called “The Granite State”), or because of my less than consistent housekeeping routine.  It most definitely increases and decreases based on how long it’s been since it’s seen Soft Scrub with Bleach and a scrub brush.  But no matter what, it’s always there, dark or faint, right at the water line.  I guess I’m not the only one who experiences this.  It’s actually been a topic of conversation at several neighborhood parties.  No lie!  My neighbors and I have even purchased cleaners and sponges for each other, trying to battle the problem together.  But no matter the cleaner, it’s still there.
     I also have a persistent impatience problem that won’t go away.  I’m not sure if it stems from nature or nurture, and it most definitely increases and decreases based on how much sleep, prayer and “me” time I get.  But no matter what, it’s always there, right beneath the surface.  I guess I’m not the only one who experiences this.  It’s been the topic of many conversations with other moms.  We share war stories and tips for trying to control it, but it’s still there.
     Although my kids don’t notice the ring around my toilet bowl, they most certainly do notice my impatience.  Moreover, they are usually the ones on the receiving end of it when I let it loose.  As my most sensitive child, I watch my seven year old son Mason visibly wilt under the sting of it.  No matter what way I look at it, or try to justify it due to a lack of sleep or prayer time or “me” time, it’s not okay!  My role as their mom is to build my kids up, encourage them, be a safe haven for them, and be a role model for them.  My impatience does none of those things.  Instead, it tears them down, turns them away, and teaches them it’s okay to give in to their own impatience.
     I don’t think I can ever completely get rid of my impatience problem.  I think it’s just one of my many character flaws that I will have for life.  Like the ring around my toilet bowl, it will always be there, right at the surface.  However, I can bleach it of its power with prayer:  prayer before my well is empty, and prayer especially in that millisecond between my kids’ actions and my reaction.  I know that that is easier said than done. However, I’ve experienced the power of prayer.  When I do remember to pray in that critical second, it works every time to diffuse the situation, and me.
     I want my actions and words to be “helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  When my kids are grown, if all they remember is the ring around my toilet bowl, I can live with that.  On the other hand, if all they remember is my impatience, that is something I will regret always.

Posted by at 5:26 AM

 2 comments:

  1. Wow! This is a post I am going to bookmark and revisit over and over. A great reminder for self-care and I love the analogy of the toilet ring. Thanks so much for sharing this, I am right there with you!!

    ReplyDelete

  2. I too, like it or not, am right there with you! I feel like I am pushing my 8 year old further and further away and I do pray often for patience and to let the kids see the love and acceptance in my eyes instead of eyes that are judging and criticizing all the time. I have a hard time doing it in the moment. But awareness is the first step to recovery, right!??!!

by

Five Eggs and A Camera

And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”           Luke 22:19
     In addition to the usual piano, karate, band, snare drum, Faith and Play, gymnastics and homework, there were other special events happening this week that my mommy-brain just could not retain.  Although most of the world has progressed to electronic reminders on their computers and iphones, the most advanced I’ve gotten is a beeping alarm on my blue, $10 plastic watch that goes off at 3:15 p.m. every day to remind me to get my kids at the bus stop!  I’m just an old-school girl who reverts to the backs of 8 1/2 by 11 recycled school papers  and a gigantic Sharpie marker to create good old-fashioned signs that I strategically place around the house:  “Zack’s Parent Teacher Conference, Tues. @ 6:45 p.m.” hung from the handle of the oven, “Mason’s Spring Concert, Wed. @ 1 p.m.” set in the middle of the breakfast island, and “Five Eggs and A Camera” taped around the strap of Jocelyn’s backpack.
      Today was Jocelyn’s nursery school Spring party with an Easter egg hunt that I was volunteering for.  I knew that if I didn’t have that reminder note taped to her backpack, I’d be the lame mother who showed up empty handed.  Moreover, I would lose the opportunity to capture the event on my camera for her birthday photo book.  But because of that note, I showed up with happy colored plastic Easter eggs with treats inside, and got some great photos to remember the day by!
      Like I place reminders around the house, there are reminders placed in the mass to focus my attention on where it should be.  At the consecration, during a Catholic mass, not only are there the words, “Do this in memory of me,” but there is the raising of the host and wine as a visual reminder, and the ringing of those beautiful bells as an auditory reminder.  That’s three different ways I’m being prompted to focus on the miracle, and the immense sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Yet, most times, I’m either selfishly praying for my own needs, nudging my boys to kneel up respectfully (versus that lazy half kneeling, half sitting pose they strike), or keeping my daughter from rolling under the pew like only a petite little three year old can.  And trust me, in my days before kids, I was just as skilled at missing the reminders by paying more attention to the swirl of thoughts in my head, than to what was actually happening on the altar.
     As we approach Good Friday, the day that commemorates all that Jesus did for us, may we all heed the signs that remind us to be humbled, awe struck, and profoundly grateful from the bottom of our hearts.
by

Resurrecting Answers to Prayers

     

     While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler, “Your daughter is dead,” they said.  “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
     Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.”              Mark 5:35-36
     The synagogue leader falls at Jesus’ feet, fully confident that Jesus can heal his daughter.
But when Jesus is delayed by the hemorrhaging woman, the little girl dies.  The man loses his certainty, and the crowd supports this lack of faith asking, “Why bother the teacher now?”
     But Jesus knows that the passage of time, even death, are obstacles easily overcome with God.  So He tells the man to ignore the crowd, “Don’t be afraid, just believe,”  Jesus then proceeds to bring the little girl back to life.
     When too much time has passed without an answer to prayers, or when we experience the death of a dream, hope, or plan, do we assume it’s not worth it to “bother” God about it?  Do we become fearful and lose our ability to believe?  Or do we listen to Jesus’ words, ignore the voices of doubt all around us and within us, and continue to have faith?  If we did, would we witness Jesus bringing an answer to life, resurrecting our dreams, hopes or plans?  It sure is worth a try!