R gets back from Indonesia tomorrow. Two weeks is a long time, and I’ve been more tired and forgetful than usual. Yet I want to remember the moments of grace instead of the moments of feeling spent (um…like tonight after arguably my hardest mom day evah!).
Grace #1: I usually take the boys to the car at the same time, but I sometimes take one at a time. On Friday, I put J in the car, and he said, “Keys? Keys? Keys?” in a sweet voice so I gave him the keys to keep him occupied while I got B. Then, without thinking, I shut the door. Immediately, I heard the car lock. I panicked. “J, push the button. Push the other button.” He pushed the lock button 10+ times. Then he grabbed the garage door key and pushed those buttons for a few minutes. I was trying to keep my voice steady, but I was seriously starting to panic… J would be late, B was in the house alone, and we only have the one key. (And who should I call? What should I do?)
Amazingly, after several minutes of, “J, the black key. The black key. There are two buttons. One, two!” he unlocked the door with a big smile. Playing it cool, I gave him a slobbery big kiss on the forehead, cupped his face, and ran to get B.
I sensed God’s grace in that moment in that J was able to push the right button and also that we have a garage. Garages are extremely rare in Japan. It was already in the 90s, and I probably would’ve had to break a window if the car was outside in that heat. Major relief and gratitude following dozens of whispered, “Jesus, help J open the door!” prayers.
Grace #2: J pooped his pantsu (undies in Japanese is “pants”:). I put them in the toilet to wash out later (seriously. ew.). But I also wanted J to use the toilet once more before daycare and didn’t think about it until I heard the toilet flush. Gah! Long story short, instead of having to cancel plans and get a plumber to come, our landlady calmly said, “Eh, the pipes are big, yo. Flush again, and if it doesn’t stop up, it’s all good.”
Okay, writing this a week later, it doesn’t sound like a big deal. But at the time with a crying baby and trying to think through what not having a working toilet would mean and all…yep, having big pipes to handle training undies felt huge to me.
Grace #3: Then there is my neighbor/church lady friend. She has watched B four times for a total of 8 hours in the last two weeks so that I can pack. Both the break from being on constant baby duty and the freedom to focus on packing was super. She also had us over for dinner. I LOVE eating with friends. Especially food that I didn’t cook. Especially in AC. Especially with people who genuinely seem to enjoy playing with my boys so I can gobble up food at a more leisurely pace (still gobbling, though).
Add to this a visit from a friend who made time for me despite an insane schedule, dinner at another friend’s home with AC, pulling into a parking lot at the beach at the same time as friends who helped big time with the boys, and several unexpected moments of unusual calm, I have sensed God’s kindness to me.
So when J wakes B up early from a nap or both boys are crying at the same time or I am covered in drool and baby/toddler goo or I’m hot/blotchy/sweaty/yuck or feeling overwhelmed by R’s absence + packing to move + thinking about home assignment…this is what I want to remember.
Originally posted on Adair Update... http://bit.ly/2cBiRwh
