I need at least 6 months to plan birthday parties and other familial gatherings. I consider every possible pitfall. I stay 10 steps ahead of Murphy and his wicked laws. I book the numbers, as my dad would say, so that we barely notice a hit to our budget. My aim is Pinterest-perfection with a dash of fun because we all know the children just want cake and an empty box to play with. The actual party is to satisfy the berating voice in this mom's head and fill up the photo album. In November 2017 my girls requested a Minnie Mouse, Pizza - MacnCheese, Pool-Party extravaganza and the show is on in t-minus 12 hours. The one pitfall that tripped us up - the mysterious loss of 15,000 gallons of pool water. Dang you Murphy! (*Raises fist of righteous indignation).
For anyone dying to own a home with a pool let me give you a quick peek at the wizard behind the curtain who keeps the pool running. Spoiler alert: He's my husband and he alone keeps Ryobi in business. We are talking hundreds of dollars in pool chemicals, $300 for a new pump after a pipe-busting winter, un-snakable, right-angled pipes that seasoned plumbers won't dare touch. Picture this - my patient and enterprising husband digging up the yard like a gopher in his work clothes in the heat of the day, several days in a row to find THE clog that has eluded him for several weeks...all so that two precious girls can wade and fearlessly dip their chins in the water. The man is a saint, y'all. The moral of this story? Hoses with sprinkler attachments offer a time honored cheap thrill. Don't sleep on the sweet simplicity.
Once again, James had a week of pool cleaning and prep before him for his "wees" celebration. After filling the pool to the brim he came home from work to find a his oasis turned into a half-empty money pit. On the way home from daycare I broke the news to the girls and explained how much fun the splash pad would be. Just as I finished my pitch, Myka said, "That's ok. Daddy can fix it!" I mean, she has watched him "fix it" all spring and summer. I told her probably not this time and she repeated herself with a big smile on her face.
The girls sat with James...feet dangling above the first exposed step of the shallow end. Water-Schmater, I felt so sad for my man. James battled homeownership and done got beat. He walked into the pool house one last time to solve the mystery. The was no hint of wet grass or a cracked cement. Five minutes passed and I heard him yell, "I did it! It was my fault!" Apparently, after you set the pump to rinse you are supposed to restore it to filter. Essentially, James took the plug out of the drain and forgot.
For anyone dying to know what you do when you lose 15,000 gallons of pool water into the creek behind your house, here is an outline.
1. Laugh. . . scratch your head while frowning and laugh again, from the gut like you mean it
2. Make a giant stack of waffles. No diet food. Full fat and all the sugary syrup
3. Eat your feelings in the form of the aforementioned waffle stack with family while laughing
4. Pray that the water company overlooks your oversight (like for real, pray with us)
5. Calculate the cost of 15,000 gallons of water and then give up because it's confusing and doesn't matter right now.
6. Laugh again because 15,000 is a ridiculous number.
7. Thank God that for the optimism of your child who knew that her "Daddy can fix it!"
Marriage and family life bring about the truth that "It" happens. Whatever it is, it is a lot and ridiculous and inconvenient and costly and maybe it is even your fault but God can fix it. It's not about the problem or the solution. Following Christ is about sure faith in an all-powerful God and the fact that we have a hope that will enter into the inner chamber with Christ interceding for us in the heavenly sanctuary (peep Hebrews 6). My tiny Myka was keeping tabs on her Daddy. She has bold confidence in him. She'd been paying attention to all that He is capable of. She knew his track record would not, could not let her down. Faith is not meant to be a shaky, impotent, mystical reality it is only logical conclusion for those who choose to believe and pay attention. Thank God for 15,000 more reasons to know that He is good.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Saturday, August 18, 2018
With Eager Anticipation
So, sometimes you start again without explanation because there is no other way to begin. Here we are, fingertips becoming reacquainted with keys and mind with heart in the most natural form of expression I know. I have so many words. I know that my daughter earned it honest as each of her stories wildly weaves into another from sun-up to sun-down. I used to do the same thing. My conversations are long windy roads rather than short thrilling trips. I pick right up where I left of with the ones I love the most and travel a few miles more with them each time we talk. This time I get to pick up with myself. It's like I hung up with Mo, new, exhausted, frenzied mom of 3 years ago (or at least put her on hold) and now I'm all, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"God, I wear a pull-up. Does you wear a pull-up?" was the question Madeline posed during our time of evening family devotion. She and Myka are learning the discipline of patient expectation in the presence of God. James and I read through a Bible story, have them recite a memory verse and then we ask them to offer up prayer requests, personal or for family and friends at preschool. These times, though, a bit disjointed, are precious to me. My Type-A personality demands perfection and maturity from my children while my less neurotic Type-B side is mindful of the presence of toddlers and open to the chaos of it all. In the span of a 30 minutes of devotion fifteen minutes are spent repeating, "sit here", "say this", "shhhhh, I said, shhhhh" which is why I am in awe of how my children embrace the practice of waiting on God to speak. James said, "Ask God something you don't already know" and Madeline submitted her boxer-or-brief inquiry to God concerning pull-ups. James and I covered our mouths and chuckled and the four of us waited with baited breath for God to reply. Ok, maybe the girls were more expectant than James and I who were very amused and curious.
I watched Madeline, laying on her belly, chin in her hands, big brown eager eyes glancing upwards and around the room. She is confident that He is listening. She is ready to hear Him. The first time we attempted this Madeline whispered to herself, "ooooohhhh, I wonder what He is going to say!" It was like she was waiting for Christmas morning to dawn. "What did He say, baby?", I ask. She whispers, "Shhhhh, He hasn't answered yet, mama. Myka is quiet too, as her sister has requested. We sat there, the four of us, on my bed for 15 minutes listening for God to speak to His tiny servant. We sat in uncoerced silence. Madeline took the reigns out of my hands and was leading us to simply wait without anxiety or assumption. I suppose that Madeline listens because she is aware of His presence in a matter-of-fact way with which I have lost touch. Family devotion is more than a schedule of reading, reciting and praying it is a shared time of BEING with God who is just as tangibly present as the rest of team Hoskins. He IS a part of our family. He IS in the room waiting to be acknowledged and she is willing to yield to Him. Silence was broken when Madeline announced that He does, indeed, wear pull-ups. Who knew?
Beyond pull-ups, I have learned a few things about God because Madeline is willing to wait for Him. I learned that His voice is "power" not powerful but that is power itself, according to my sweet girl. I also learned that when she prays for healing of her sick tummy or stuffy nose He tells her that He is going to give it to her. In my austere spirituality I won't even give God 15 seconds to answer me. A minister once preached that we have two-week (not weak) faith because we only give God two weeks to answer us before we abandon Him. Madeline is teaching me how to strengthen my faith and approach His throne with confidence. She is showing me the miraculous gift of eager wonder. He will come, He is here and He WILL answer.
"God, I wear a pull-up. Does you wear a pull-up?" was the question Madeline posed during our time of evening family devotion. She and Myka are learning the discipline of patient expectation in the presence of God. James and I read through a Bible story, have them recite a memory verse and then we ask them to offer up prayer requests, personal or for family and friends at preschool. These times, though, a bit disjointed, are precious to me. My Type-A personality demands perfection and maturity from my children while my less neurotic Type-B side is mindful of the presence of toddlers and open to the chaos of it all. In the span of a 30 minutes of devotion fifteen minutes are spent repeating, "sit here", "say this", "shhhhh, I said, shhhhh" which is why I am in awe of how my children embrace the practice of waiting on God to speak. James said, "Ask God something you don't already know" and Madeline submitted her boxer-or-brief inquiry to God concerning pull-ups. James and I covered our mouths and chuckled and the four of us waited with baited breath for God to reply. Ok, maybe the girls were more expectant than James and I who were very amused and curious.
I watched Madeline, laying on her belly, chin in her hands, big brown eager eyes glancing upwards and around the room. She is confident that He is listening. She is ready to hear Him. The first time we attempted this Madeline whispered to herself, "ooooohhhh, I wonder what He is going to say!" It was like she was waiting for Christmas morning to dawn. "What did He say, baby?", I ask. She whispers, "Shhhhh, He hasn't answered yet, mama. Myka is quiet too, as her sister has requested. We sat there, the four of us, on my bed for 15 minutes listening for God to speak to His tiny servant. We sat in uncoerced silence. Madeline took the reigns out of my hands and was leading us to simply wait without anxiety or assumption. I suppose that Madeline listens because she is aware of His presence in a matter-of-fact way with which I have lost touch. Family devotion is more than a schedule of reading, reciting and praying it is a shared time of BEING with God who is just as tangibly present as the rest of team Hoskins. He IS a part of our family. He IS in the room waiting to be acknowledged and she is willing to yield to Him. Silence was broken when Madeline announced that He does, indeed, wear pull-ups. Who knew?
Beyond pull-ups, I have learned a few things about God because Madeline is willing to wait for Him. I learned that His voice is "power" not powerful but that is power itself, according to my sweet girl. I also learned that when she prays for healing of her sick tummy or stuffy nose He tells her that He is going to give it to her. In my austere spirituality I won't even give God 15 seconds to answer me. A minister once preached that we have two-week (not weak) faith because we only give God two weeks to answer us before we abandon Him. Madeline is teaching me how to strengthen my faith and approach His throne with confidence. She is showing me the miraculous gift of eager wonder. He will come, He is here and He WILL answer.
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