The Best Gift

Yesterday Ally gave me the best gift I have been given in a long time. Many things have been being broken, drawn on, ruined, and lost so yesterday I was feeling blue and overwhelmed. I sat on my bed to fold laundry and simply get away from the messes in the house. Ally came in and saw me. She said, "I should bring you a new CD I have so you can listen while you fold." I was happy to listen because I LOVE music.

Then, she said she would cook dinner. I was so happy because it was a chore I was not looking forward to. Not long after that, she took Nathan and Rylee downstairs with her and told me to relax in my room. I cannot remember the last time I sat in my room and listened to music, while not worrying about the children or what they were ruining, etc. When Ally came up to tell me dinner was ready, I expressed to her my love and appreciation for what she had given me the chance to do. She was so amazed at my emotion over "such a small thing" that she said, "Do you want me to bring you dinner in your room. Really, the kids are fine. Then you can enjoy music and dinner in your room." She did bring me dinner and I ate in peace.

After that, I felt great. I have made a decision. As long as I have a clean place to go (ie. my room), I can handle the mess, chaos, and ruined state of many things. As our motto states, "If it aint broke, it aint ours." I still plan to continue teaching the children that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", but with a peaceful place to go, I feel more competent to do so.

Now if I could just figure out a way to get permanent marker off the seats in my car!