We had a really great weekend! Rich had a HUGE sixteen page paper due this morning for his Law writing class. This paper was his final grade and he has been working on it for weeks now. He was up all night last night adding the final touches. Rich missed going to church with us this week, so I took all of the boys to church by myself! I was intimidated and REALLY kind of scared to go it alone with all three, but my sweet little Robbie convicted me Sunday morning by running into our room at the crack of dawn shouting, "It's Sunday and time for Sunday School!!!" As he jumped on our bed! I reluctantly got up, took a shower and started thinking not very nice thoughts in the shower about being up so early with only a few hours of sleep and how crazy I was to be going to church alone and how dare Rich have a paper due ... yada, yada, yada!!!
We made it to church and just as I always am when I go to church, I once again was blessed by the sermon and a young girl named Victoria. After dropping Robbie off at his Sunday School in the three year old classroom. I decided to sit in the Baby Room that is set aside in the main sanctuary for mother's of infants and small children who might cry and be disruptive during the service. Well, with twins and no Daddy help, I thought the Baby Room might be the best place for us to sit that Sunday! I will admit, I was feeling a little sorry for myself... getting all three kids dressed and ready for church, putting all three little ones in their car seats and buckling them up and then unbuckling them. Lugging the huge stroller and all three babies to and from Sunday School and then there was the really hard part, sitting through an entire one hour church service with twin eight month old, very loud and active, ( I might add) babies!!!!!!!
As I was sitting with one other mama in the Baby Room. A pretty, young, frail, young lady walked in with the most adorable little baby girl who was dressed in pink from the bow on her head to the sparkly pink shoes on her toes... she was adorable! I said hello and asked how old the little baby was? The young girl told me that her name was Victoria and her daughter was eight months old...wait, wait, her daughter??? ( I thought to myself!). I tried to hold back the surprise from showing on my face! This Victoria girl seemed like a baby herself! I later found out Victoria is in her very early twenties and a bus driver for a dangerous part of Los Angeles.
I soon found out that Victoria is a single mother. We started talking, and before I knew it, this dear girl was telling me her whole life story and sharing that she really was a "good girl" who had just made some mistakes in life. Although of course she loved her baby girl more than anything, she truly wished she had saved sex for marriage. This young girl went on to share that she often felt really insecure about herself, her looks and who she was. I told her that God knew her heart and that she was beautiful inside and out and the most important thing was that she had a love for the Lord and recognized some of the mistakes she had made in life and also recognized her blessings. Wow!!! Was I ever convicted and guilty. Here this girl was young, with no help from a husband at all... like ever!! Yet she still made the time and effort to bring her little baby girl to church without grumbling!
Victoria will probable never know how much she blessed me and changed my attitude that day. I am praying for you Victoria and your beautiful little girl! Be safe as you drive those huge city buses through Hollywood and the not safe areas of Los Angeles. Keep on keeping on! Keep yourself and that precious baby girl in the word of the Lord! Jesus will be that babies father and your husband. He will give you the strength to carry on... even when life seems to be at it's worst.
Later last night, Rich and I managed to get all of our babies in bed early. Rich was typing away on his paper in our dining room. I was given the luxury, by some miracle of taking a long relaxing shower with no interruptions from screaming babies or a certain three year old asking for milk or peanut butter and jelly or to put on a cartoon, ( which are pretty much the usual interruption of my daily shower time). I took a long shower and just pondered my day. I thought about the boys, Rich's paper and of course, sweet Victoria. Once I got out of the shower, I poured a glass of Chardonnay for myself and snuggled in bed with a good book. I was fast asleep by 9:30... 9:30!!!! I haven't been asleep that early in years!!! I woke-up around 5:00 am to screaming babies! As I walked in the nursery, I was blessed by the most precious sight that will stay in my memory the rest of my life and made me fall in love with my husband all over again! There was Rich, with one baby on the changing table and the other in his arms. He was singing to them and telling them how much he loved them and that they "needed to help him out with this whole changing diapers and warming bottles in the middle of the night thing, because Mama needs her sleep". I watched them for about six minutes before walking into the room. I said, "Wow babe, they slept until 5:00 and never got up! " Rich smiled and said they had been up three times. I then realized that Rich had let me sleep through it all and took care of the babies while working on his paper with zero sleep. I kissed him and told him that I loved him more now than the day I married him! This whole experience made me so grateful for what I do have, I have been guilty of yelling at Rich, or asking him why he just can't help me with the kids in this way or that. You know, all of the usual ways a sleep deprived mama of three small children overreacts!
I have learned to be content, happy and appreciative of what I do have! Sure, my husband isn't perfect. He doesn't always say or do the right things just how I would like him to. You know what... neither am or do I !! We all have blessings and gifts that we often overlook because we only see what we don't have! Let's take a little time to sit back this evening and say a thank you to the Lord for all he has given to us!
"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content". 1 Timothy 6: 6-8
Hope you all had a good Monday!
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