"You Pomise Me, Mom? Pomise?"

Yesterday afternoon was one of those leisure ones that you dream about. Yes, the laundry needed attention but I was ignoring it. And we won't even talk about the baking I need to do for Saturday. Instead I was sitting in the rocking chair, snuggled with with Laura as we watched the boys play basketball across the street, and occasionally read a few more pages of "Clifford's Christmas". I know it's July. But Goodwill had it cheap and Laura loves Clifford... you see where that got me. :)

Soon Laura tired of just sitting and once again starting playing in her own little world. She got her babies up from their naps where they were sleeping on white couch pillows, covered up by blankets. She fed them imaginary food, took them on an imaginary walk, told them to be good while she went on an imaginary grocery store run to "Marct's" and then proceeded to put her imaginary groceries away in her imaginary kitchen. Once in awhile I was given instructions to hold the babies while they cried, get them out of timeout and 'do the hugs, Mommy', eat my food so I could have a 'tootie' and keep an eye on things while she was away. And then she got my full attention.

She was putting things away and working hard at being a Mommy while I picked up the clutter in order to regain the clean house I've come to love. The fact that company was arriving with our 'guests' (Peanut the hamster and Marvin the guinea pig) in a bit made my efforts have a purpose beyond my own needs so I was a bit more diligent about it all. I told Laura to put some things away and she told me she would. Then she proceeded to put something away in a different spot. I started to correct her and she held up her finger to her mouth and said "Shhhhh, Mommy!" I had the common sense to hold my comments so I could wait for what was to come. She proceeded to give me a long explanation about why she put the blanket where she did and it involved her babies, napping, timeout, a picnic and who knows what else. I stood there with my hands on my hips, waiting for her to finish before telling her to move it and put it where it went. As her explanation wound down she came up to me, clasped her hands together against her chest and said "Don't move it, okay Mom? You pomise me, Mom? Pomise? My babies NEED it there."

Indeed there have been times in my life where something needed to be where it didn't belong. I figured I owed Laura that once in awhile, too. After all, who really cared that the blanket was spread across the coffee table? Certainly not Peanut and Marvin.

I figure God does much the same with us. He wants us to live our lives a certain way but we can detour from that now and then. And he allows us to clean up our messes when we are ready, and reset ourselves on the right path. He is patient and very understanding. And he promised to love us through it all. He expects the same from us as we guide our children through life, teaching them to make the right choices. Which can include a detour from our plans once in awhile.

"You pomise me, Mom? Pomise?"

"Yes, Laura. I promise."