Emily's conversation about shoes

Today has been a trying day. I am tired. I am tired of being licked, sniffed, snotted on, bashed in the head, screamed at, kicked, and otherwise pummeled. I am tired of worrying. Tired of doctors. Tired of recurring GI issues. Tired of schools. Tired of stares. Just flat out tired. Today, all I can do is just pray and give the Lord 100% of all of this. I don't have any strength of my own to do this anymore...not that I ever did. Then the Lord gave me the following dose of perspective, and it made my day:

Today was also a terrible allergy day for Alex, so I decided to keep him inside. Laura wanted to go out, and while Alex was occupied with schoolwork, I let her go out back. Emily, stripped to the diaper, also wanted to go outside. She has been uber cranky today and did not nap, so I kept trying to get her to make her lay down. (Not to mention that I am weary to the core and not up to chasing her around the yard.) She kept leading me by the hand to the back door, saying, "C'mon Ma!" She finally got distracted. A while later, she came up to me with this look--like a lighbulb moment. "Shoes!" she said happily. "Shoes, shoes, shoes! C'mon Ma! Shoes! One...Two...Three! Bye! Bye! Let's go! Shoes...NOW! One...Twoooooooo!"

She was desperately trying to tell me that she needed shoes in order to go outside because she thought that was the reason I was keeping her in. She was recalling all the scripts she has ever heard about shoes, and relaying them to me to make me understand. Almost everyday, I tell the kids, "Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! Everybody get your shoes on!" If the kids are moving sluggishly, and I need to get them out the door, I count "One. Two. Three! Bye-bye guys! I'm going!" Or I'll say, "Let's go!" Or if things get really hairy, "Shoes! NOW!" And if all of this fails, I use my old One Two Three Magic line, "One...Twoooooooooooooo!" (I rarely have to get to three. It is a beautiful system.) Emily was quoting me...with meaning!

It took me a minute to realize what had just happened, but the moment it sunk in, it was profound.