Making Lemonade

This morning I was handed a lemon. Not literally, but a lemon nonetheless.

I had just finished packing the diaper bag. I asked Ann and Chris to head to the van with me. As I got ready to load them in the van, I realized we were missing a car seat. We'd forgotten to take it out of the car and put it back in the van.

Argh! We weren't going to be able to go to our MOPS meeting. This year I get the privilege of being a part of our church's MOPS steering team. Today was our second meeting. I was really looking forward to it.

But, it wasn't to be. At first, I got frustrated. There may have been a bit of immature stomping around on my part, accompanied by a bit of huffing and puffing.

After a few minutes and an unsuccessful attempt to borrow my neighbor's booster seat, I took a deep breath. I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to make the meeting. Ann and Chris seemed to also accept the fact that they wouldn't be playing with friends at church. We all continued about our morning.

As I was in the midst of doing chores, I thought of something. I realized that maybe God had wanted us to be at home this morning. Then, I realized that if that was the case, He must have something good in store for us.

He did.

Ann and Chris played beautifully. They seemed to be happy to see one another after a brief separation while Ann stayed with Grandma.

Jane took a refreshing nap. This is something she needed after a little bout with pink eye and a cold.

I was able to get more chores done in a half an hour than I normally do in a couple of days.

But, the best part was our picnic. We obviously weren't able to drive anywhere, so I suggested walking to the park. The kids thought it sounded like a good idea. They finished building their block castles and we loaded up the double stroller.

As a bit of an afterthought, I packed a little picnic lunch.

We had an great time. We played tag and laughed. I can't remember a time recently where I enjoyed my children more.

So, thanks Tony for accidentally driving off with the car seat. If you hadn't, I would have missed this.

And this.

Most importantly, I would have missed the gentle reminder that I'm not in charge of my days. For that, I couldn't be happier.