Suprises, a double take and a double dose in learning about Compassion

We spent the day in the car again. 
A Thursday kind of day.
A late start in the morning, Awana the night before and it takes everyone a while to wind down and share their stories of the night.
Piano lessons and back and forth from home, because not everyone has to go.
In the back and forths, running Fun Girl to work.
Back home for a quick lunch.
Then to Bal-A-Vis-X.
Then to the grocery store to get the latest ad.
My day stops here.
I am lost in my own world as I sit in the car and wait for Hockey Player to run in, grab the ad and come back to me, stopped at the curb.  He comes to the door and says, someone fell. 
I quickly recall the vague thud I heard and start looking around.
A deep intake of my breath.
A "grandpa" is down  in the parking lot and 2 ladies were helping him.
I quickly put my hazard lights on, put the burb in park and tell the kids to stay.
I see the ladies are talking to him and I run inside to tell Customer Service someone has fallen.  They quickly send the managers out.
He is a little disoriented. His face is banged up and he is bleeding quite a bit from his scrapes.
He misjudged the curb/ground and face planted.
My heart was in my throat.
He just wanted to get in his car and drive home to the next block over where he lives in Assisted/Independent Living facility.
But he is so disoriented. 
Rides are offered. A chair is offered. Paper towels.  Someone got ice.
I ask him the name of where he lives.
Blessedness that it is, I am very familiar with his residence. I have family there. I quickly call.  They send over their Director of Nursing and instruct us to call an ambulance. 
The managers do that. 
I see he is being well cared for and try to gracefully exit.
I stop at the care facility to give them a first hand account for when he returns later on...as disoriented as he is he might not be able to tell them much.  Plus to let them know he has 2 bags of refrigerated items. 
All the while grateful he is well cared for and being watched out for. 
As I return my car, I hear one of children ask why I had to get out of the car and  help?
My eye brows shot up.
Because it was the right thing to do I am thinking.
I try to say because he needed help. 
But this kiddo, is grumpy.  Wanted to be at home.  So did I.  Just didn't get it.  Which for this kiddo when this stage of self centeredness has started it is really hard to refocus. 
I ask my children if they knew the story of the Good Samaritan. 
I was shocked when my younger two said no.
NO???
I gasped and did a double take. 
My brain went into over drive. How could that be? 
We read Bible stories.  We talk Bible stuff.  We memorize verses. We go to church.  They watch Bible videos.  How? But....?
I stop the bumbling around in my brain.
I share the story as I drive. 
I ask who was a good neighbor?  why? 
Now they all have heard the story and know.
But now, it is quiet and I can think.
It is just like I share at times with friends and my oldest. Just like I had shared that morning with a friend.  God doesn't always take us down the same path as the person next to us.  He has different lessons for us at different times. We don't learn his ways over night.  Sometimes there are even some slips and falls along the way, just like when a baby learns to walk and become a toddler.  Yes, my oldest were schooled in the story of the Good Samaritan.  Now so were my youngers.  My youngers on the other hand have been learning lessons that my olders are learning just now. 
Different people, different paths, different learning curves and lessons plans created by the Master Educator.  Patience and understanding and compassion for one another, for we don't know where the Lord has taken them, is taking them or will be taking them. 

Being able to see and more.........

Hmmm, driving home from Jenks, Oklahoma, I discovered home much of a MidWest girl I am.

 

 I like the wide open spaces. I love seeing the horizon that includes land and sky.

 

Not much for a landscape that includes lots of brick buildings, sidewalks and being underground. I have visited those places and was struck by how obstructed my view of God's creation was by all that man made.

 Some call me a city girl, because I am not much of a fan of dust and dirt and I am allergic to most things that pollinate.

In my fairy tail world missing dirt, dust and spiders, I am a Country Girl.

I like the views.

I enjoy gazing upon God's nightly paintings I the sky.

 

  But

I realized on the same drive I am the girl that likes daylight.

I don't like to drive in the dark.

 I don't like not being able to see the horizon.

  I like to know what is ahead.

I can say the same thing about Life.

I don't like the feeling that I am driving off into oblivion.

I don't like suprises. I want to know what is going to happen.

It is hard to trust the road is going to be there especially when speeding down the road at highway speeds or that nothing will jump out in front me.

Sometimes it is hard to trust that God really knows what He is doing.

Sometimes it is hard to know what it is God would have me to do.

 I fret and worry and pray God will get me home in one piece.

 It has gotten a little easier over the years, but not much. I just don't like it.

I don't like not being able to see what it is ahead.

And Each and Every Time 

I arrive, it is with a sigh of relief and a readiness to rest.

And a gladness that I am Home

I think Heaven is going to be at least a little bit, just like that.  

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we could only be Cinderella..

We have had a relapse around here.  There is something called Princess Syndrome that runs in my family.  Painful to admit.  For those of you who have not heard of this syndrome the symptoms are:
*an inability to see things that need to be picked up
*if said things are seen, there is an inability to pick up and put away these stray objects because it must be someone else's job.
*if these items are mine, well, someone else should do it for me, cause I am ever so busy. 
*a strong desire to laze about and live in a dream world
*beginning to compare one's self to Cinderella
*dreams of being whisked away to a far away castle where there were people who actually enjoyed doing things for you
*complaining or grumbling or just having in general a bad attitude while doing chores

It is painful to admit but I know these symptoms all too well.  I too have dwelled in the fantasy world of wishing my Prince Charming would appear and whisk me away to a castle.  I just loved the story of Cinderella growing up.  The fabulous rescue, the sense of "in your face" mean ol' stepmother and stepsisters.  No more serving you.  But I had an aha moment this summer when I watched one my own sweet princesses struggling to overcome this syndrome in her own life.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a gracious, delicate aha Cinderella moment, it was more like a clutzy stepsister aha moment.  Our Princess Syndrome behavior was nothing like Cinderella.  Cinderella was kind and gentle, she served others with forebearance.  She didn't like how she was treated but she didn't act out or rebel or return evil with evil.  She returned good for evil, she whistled while she worked (i.e. did all things without murmuring or complaining).  And in the end she was blessed by her King of Kings. 
Ouch...
So not Cinderella here, but I want to be with all my heart.

My Favorite Quoteable Today !

"Flutter Nutter I need Jesus!
Bring me Jesus !
Bring me Jesus Now! "

Everyone needs Jesus right? Fun Mom is laughing. She think what I have just hollered dramatically and as enthusiastically as a fire and brimstone preacher is "just wrong!" Why? Cause Jesus is smelly and needs a bath.
Jesus goes everywhere with us. Flutter Nutter loves Jesus so much.
I am washing fleece so it is a perfect time to bathe Jesus!
It is Jesus' fault Flutter Nutter will need lots of orthodontics. Flutter Nutter likes to suck on and chew on Jesus. He puts as much of Jesus into his mouth as possible. He has done this since he was babe. And the orthodontist was the one who discovered the problem a year ago when we had the older ones in her office. She took one look at him and asked us what he sucked on? I thought she must possess some super powers, how could she know? I told her he sucks on his BLANKIE. (Yes, Jesus is a blankie! ) She looked at me incredulous. She said, "Nuh uh." I said, "Oh yeah! He shoves as much as he can in his little ole mouth and sucks on it. Fortunately, he has never suffocated." Light bulbs and an aha moment for the orthodontist. I asked her how she knew. She pointed out how his teeth don't touch anymore when he bites down. Sure enough. I just thought he had a great goofy grin that wrapped itself all over my heart. And he does. What to do? Not much, she is going to make money off of us. She told us it was up to us if we wanted to take the blankie away and have to pay for therapy in addition to orthodontics! Gotta love an orthodotist who is a mom to a large family as well! !

Before you think I am being sacriligeous or blasphemous. Please meet Jesus. We all need Jesus. But sometimes, it is nice to have Jesus here on Earth to wrap yourself up in. Flutter Nutter has just that.