I took my shower, happily lathering up and thanking God for restoring health to my children and for helping me to get through the stress of recent days. Then I got out. I got out of the shower and saw that Heather had called my cell phone at 6:22 am, so I called her back. I figured that she was just confirming that the kids were coming, but no. Paige was sick with a fever of 103! She said she didn't mind keeping them, but I didn't want to chance them getting sick again and going through all of that again.
So (and here the drama begins), I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:30 am and my mind began working furiously to organize what I needed to do before I had to leave for work at 7 am. I called Trevor's mom and she agreed to keep Nathan, and I told her that I would bring him to her house. Then I called the church daycare to see if they could keep Gracie for one day. Thankfully they were able to, and so I sprinted to the kitchen to get a lunch ready for Grace.
After slapping together a PB&J and filling a lunch bag with snacks and juice, I woke Grace up and lit a fire under Nathan to hurry up. Once Grace was dressed, I ran to the bathroom to quickly dry my hair and finish getting dressed. This morning was one of many mornings that I was thankful that I don't wear makeup, hence one less thing to do.
I made sure everyone had their teeth brushed and hair combed before collecting the last of the stuff that they would need during the day. I grabbed two packages of Pop-Tarts and 2 bananas for the kid's breakfast (nutrition was the last thing on my mind!) and sped out the door with 2 bags, 1 purse, 1 backpack, 1 pillow, 1 blanket and my keys. Whew!
Once I got the kids buckled in, I realized that I left my cell phone on the counter. Back into the house, relock the door and then off we went. I usually leave the house at 7 am and it was now 7:11 am and I was beginning to stress.
Would you believe that I was out of gas?
Diesel to be accurate, but either way I had to fuel up before I took Nathan out to Trevor's parent's house or I would run out. Auughhh! So I dropped Gracie off at church, and then pulled into the gas station to fill up the car. I pulled up next to the diesel pump and realized that the elderly man who was on the other side of the pump was using my nozzle.
Huh?
Well, using it is not really accurate since he was just holding it as he carried on a very lively conversation with another gentleman about something farm related. I asked him if he was finished with the nozzle and he gave it back so I could use it. The other man gave me a dirty look as though I had committed some sort of social faux pas by requesting the use of the nozzle on my side of the pump, but I didn't care. I pumped just enough fuel to get me through the week and hit the road.
After dropping Nathan off, I had to take a back road though acres of farmland to get to work, and so I covered the car in a layer of dust in the process. We'll just add washing the car to the ever-lengthening list of things to do this week. By this time, it was 7:30 and I was just getting on the road to go to work. I made it on time, but I felt all out of sorts and rushed for the first hour or so of work.
So, here I am on my lunch break sitting quietly and trying to get some perspective. It seems silly now, that I was so stressed this morning. Everything was accomplished, the kids are safe and I didn't have to miss work. It was a good lesson for me. I need to step back when my life seems too crazy and just relax. Snapping at people when they call (sorry Kellye!) and fussing at the kids is not going to make the situation any better and I'll just feel badly about it later.
The thankful spirit that I had in those early morning moments in the shower should be there all the time, and not just when life is going the way I think it should. Thank you God. Thank you for taking care of me and for providing events that help shape my character and allow avenues for me to praise you more completely.
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