Today was the Mondayest Thursday ever. It started when my kids protested the breakfast I made.
Mind you – they requested the breakfast. Their father gave them a good lecture and then he headed off
to work, and the normal before-school routine continued. It was 8:00am so that meant it was time for
everyone to brush their teeth.
While all four of my children are in the bathroom, I decided to fold towels right outside the door. That’s
when I heard the crash. “What was that?” I yelled. “He broke the light!” my oldest exclaimed. Yes –
that’s right – my youngest son had climbed up onto the bathroom counter and somehow managed to
not shatter the glass globe, but only the light bulb. Shards of glass all over the bathroom!
Typical mom fashion, I yell for everyone to get out and go to the upstairs bathroom to finish getting
ready. I shut the door and say “It’s ok, I can take care of this when I get home.”
Next chore is to walk the dog. Simple right? Not this puppy. She loves my father-n-law. When she saw
my father-n-law walking through the barn lot, she breaks free of the leash and makes a mad dash for
him. After chasing her down, I get her inside to her crate while I help my little ones tie their shoes and
that’s when I felt it. A stink bug crawling up my neck – YUCK!!!!!!!
My patience is so thin right now I could cry, I contemplated silent crying on the drive to school.
When my youngest two kids and I arrive back home, I drank another cup of coffee to settle my nerves and
give me the energy to clean up the light bulb mess. When I was finished cleaning, I turned on an online
sermon because I figured we all needed some Jesus this morning.
That’s when my 3-year old daughter says “Mommy look at my pretty hair”. Her hair had a knot on top
of her head that sparkled. Upon further examination I figured out she has placed a whole container of
glitter slime on top of her head. And that is when any expectations I had for a good day flew out the
window, I mean – all this happened before 10am!!!!
So why do I tell you about my awful day so far? Because right when I needed it – Jesus showed me to be
thankful for my mess. Just when I think things can’t get any worse, he shows me how blessed I am. And
right then and there I thanked him for my awful morning.
See, when I clicked on Facebook, one of the first posts I come across is a friend sharing her infertility
journey with the world. And that breaks my heart! I cannot imagine the hurt that so many go through.
Even though I have suffered a miscarriage, I had no problem conceiving our other 4 children and my
heart will always be with those women who never get to experience the joy of carrying their own
children. Especially when that’s what their hearts long for.
From there I apologize for my morning short-tempered reactions and thank our Heavenly Father for the
blessings he has bestowed me.
The next people that my mind turns to is my friends Tom & Shelby whose son Luke was taken from them
at the young age of 19. And once again my heart aches.
From there, my friend Paige comes to mind. Her and her husband lost their precious 4-month old son
out of nowhere and again my heart aches.
These people are the ones who have suffered the worst loss that I could possibly think of. Through
these people, I know Jesus is sending me the message that even though every day is not going to be
“good” day……. It’s still a good day. My children are alive and healthy and I have absolutely no room to
complain or be in a bad mood.
I sit here with tears in my eyes thinking of my sweet friends and the many more who have suffered such
loss and pain. May the Lord comfort you all in the memories you treasure. And may the Lord continue
to show me my blessings – even through the tough days.
Written by: Courtney Hoak