One of my best friends always tells me to find the bright spots in life. She told me that sometimes you have to look for them, but they are always there. How right she is! I have noticed that there are bright spots in every day--even the bad ones! Life is not a fairy tale. We do not live in a crystal palace. We don't have servants who wait on us hand and foot and keep us relaxed. Things rarely fall into place.
Jacob and I took turns traveling over the weekend. He took a gremlin to his parents while I stayed with a sick gremlin and then on Saturday we traded shifts. Driving nearly 3 hours with a screaming toddler and a 7-year-old who gets car sick and is vomiting in the back of the van is no picnic. It didn't go according to "the plan," but we did it and we enjoyed ourselves.
Yesterday I woke up tired and cranky. Nothing was going according to "the plan" and the kids were also tired and cranky. Kaitlyn was into everything, tattooed herself with markers, and was climbing up the furniture like King Kong! The boys had gone momentarily deaf and couldn't hear me when I spoke to them. Miraculously, their hearing returned after I repeated myself (loudly) a third time. It was one of those mornings where you say, "You need to put on your shoes," and your child just stands there with a confused look on his face. "Shoes? What are those?" We were running late for church so I didn't get to spend the usual amount of time on my hair and make up. There was one point where I had an urge to lock myself in the bedroom and just say, "Forget it. We're staying home." Nothing was going according to "the plan" so it was safer to just hide out for a while. (Right?) On the drive to church I realized that I also didn't eat breakfast. I turned and looked at my kids all dressed up for Easter, fed and happy and thought, "Well, that's what's really important."
We made it to church and Kaitlyn started fussing. The boys started acting like crazy people . . . monkeys in a zoo, if you will. I don't pop my boys on the back of their heads and say, "Straighten up," but I won't lie, there are times I imagine it. We got Kaitlyn to the nursery and headed to the sanctuary to find a seat. Eventually one of my favorite people and sweetest friends sat down beside me and gave me the biggest hug. It was a bright spot to my emotionally crazy morning and she totally made my day. The service was good, as usual, and Jacob and I hung around and talked to a few people afterward.
We all started walking to the door because Jacob and I needed to get Kaitlyn from the nursery and get the boys from Children's church. Suddenly, I heard a familiar little voice shout, "Mama!" I looked up and Kaitlyn was running down the hall with a giant smile on her face. Her curls were flying and bouncing on her shoulders and her arms were out, ready to grab me. I picked her up and she hugged me. Another sweet person in our lives had not only brought the boys to us but had gone to the nursery and gotten Kaitlyn as well. (Another bright spot? Yeah, I think so!)
Life rarely goes according to plan. It would be boring if things went exactly the way we wanted them to go. We get so focused on "the plan" that we forget about the bright spots. It's good to have a plan, but it's nice to be reminded to stop and look for the bright spots. Sometimes you have to look for them and other times they are so obvious--like a clown blowing a horn and dancing in your face! You just can't miss them! Let's make our plans, but let's not get so caught up in them that we miss the clown, er, um . . . bright spots!
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