The Faith Of A Child

In our efforts to get out of the house at "O'dark hundred" tomorrow, more commonly known as 4:30 AM, I am packing so Don can pack the car when he gets home tonight. In theory, then all we'll need to do is throw our suitcase and the cooler in the car and we're off. Reality is a whole different ballgame. But as you know I like to dream big.

I am planning to take an assortment of things for Dr. Dobbs to review with us - her night-night shoes, her SMO's, our favorite shoes to wear with them, and so on - and located a bag that I could carry in to the hospital to avoid dragging so much in with us in pieces. The philosophy of packing requires that you have the items you'd like to pack physically at hand and ready. It is there that my plan fell apart. I needed Laura's night-night shoes and I couldn't find them anywhere. I even *gasp* cleaned up her toys in her room thinking it might have gotten buried. Yes, I know. *hanging head* You thought I'd have it more together given my excitement at saying goodbye to the casts once again. But you would be wrong. So what's a Mom to do when she's stressed, tired already and facing a 1200 mile drive in two days complete with Dr office visit and staying up with relatives far too long? I sat down and cried.

In the midst of my imagining all sorts of things about how long it would take us to get another pair, how in the world we'd pay for them, and how we'd have to wait in casts while they came, Jonathan bounced down the stairs to find me crying in my muddled, stressed state. He very softly put his hands on my shoulders and said "Mom, are you okay?" and then he knelt to hug me. I sobbed that I couldn't find her shoes and I was very stressed. He said "It's okay, Mom. The Lord will help us. We can find them, can't we? He'll tell us where they are." I sobbed a few more good ones knowing he was right but trying very hard to figure out why I couldn't have thought that in the first place.

He calmly took my hand and Laura's, formed a circle and started to pray. His prayer was so simple and yet so powerful. He said it just perfectly. And then he hugged me, laid out a plan and headed to his appointed spot to start looking. On the way, Laura said "when you find it be sure to yell so we know!" and off she went, too. Almost immediately Jonathan yelled "I found them! I FOUND THEM!" And indeed he had. Right where I'd looked several times before that. Right where I thought I'd left them.

How simple the faith of a child can be. He knew that the Lord would help, he asked and then he expected a positive result. It is nice to know that I am still learning from my children. I hope he keeps teaching me this lesson until I learn it - and learn it well. :)