TheWRITEaddiction.com

I handed her my tithing envelope like I do every Sunday, but she didn’t respond like she usually does.  Normally, she takes it with a combined sense of duty and glee.  But Sunday, there was no twinkle in her eye, no rush to get to the center of the aisle, and no smile across her lips.  Something was wrong.

I pulled my big girl close to me and asked her what was wrong.  It was petty elementary school girl stuff…but it was enough in that moment to break her little heart.

My mommy skills are not yet what they should be, but I knew enough not trivialize the experience.  (Though, the incident was quite trivial.). I knew enough to keep my opinions to myself.  (My child was definitely overreacting.) I knew enough to let her cry it out.

I held her in my arms, and let her tears fall on my shirt. I told her that she would be okay… And within minutes, she was.  She managed to pull herself together in just enough time to walk down the center aisle with the rest of the junior ushers.

During offering, the choir sang “Safe in His Arms” and I was reminded of all the times my heart was broken beyond words.  I thought of all the times overreacted and all the times God withheld his judgment.  I thought about the number of times God wiped my tears, dusted me off and told me to get back in line.

That I could model that for my baby  girl… And she could model it for me… Was more than I ever expected on a run of the mill Sunday afternoon.

Mama Radford

P.S. The picture is not from Sunday. It was taken before baby #3 was born. But it is one of my favorites of her in my arms.