Humble Pie

Humility. Jesus lived it. Christians strive for it. Most fail at it.

This weekend was the lesson of humility for me. Huge error occurred. I have a great list of excuses, as I am queen of giving them.
"Too much going on this weekend."
"Juggling too many balls."
"My husband was gone for 2 days so he couldn't help."
etc.

But, bottom line....I messed up.
I put the wrong date on the invitation.
I did not double check.
Can anyone relate?

Deep sigh....and rewind to the beginning of Saturday when the lesson of humility began.

CPR class in the morning. All was good. Saved "Annie". Certification renewed.

Afternoon was spent baking a cake.
Matthea's Circus birthday party was going to be awesome with all her old classmates from last year. I was riding on the success and fun from last years party without a care in the world, except that a Boy Scout ceremony loomed in the late afternoon. So, not much time to do all the final touches.

3pm, the phone rings and guess what....guests for the party have arrived at the school. Frantic, Uwe and I looked at the invitation and sure enough....the date was the 12th, NOT the 13th.
What to do? What to do?
Boy Scouts starts in a an hour.
Cake is NOT iced.
No party favors.
Not Ready! No way to wing it, nothing to do but to suck up the pride and apologize.

Uwe bikes over there and talks with them. Apologizes profusely. We both feel like idiots at this point!
They CAN come back tomorrow. (whew!) But, they want to play with Matthea for awhile.
No problem, that can be done.
Uwe races back home.
I pack a mini bag with things needed for the Scout meeting (clothes for me, clothes for Matthea, diapers, etc.)
I race over with Matthea and see everyone.
Aplogies made over and over again as Matthea plays with her friends. I'm feeling a bit better, but at this point I've accepted the "idiot tag" I've put on and be grateful for their graciousness.

Half hour later, Uwe shows up with the other two kids and we take off for the Scout ceremony. I dress Matthea in the taxi. I dress at the place where the ceremony was held (wasn't THAT desperate!). Get the Scouts ready and sit down. 2 hours later leave the ceremony.
Kids fed.
Kids in bed.
Tears finally come....

Humility, being humbled sure doesn't feel good. But, I also learned that it isn't beating yourself up. It's accepting grace. Am I a humble person now? Probably not to the fullest. I am a continuing project for the Lord to work on. Praise Him that He won't give up.

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How did the party turn out on Sunday? It was wonderful and loads of fun. But, if you want to know more details, you'll have to wait until the next posting...as I've run outta time and probably space.

"Why I Don't Like PK"

OK, the title is a little misleading, as it isn't me that doesn't like preschool....it's my daughter Meg. The first week was a little rough for her, but it has gotten so much better. I thought I'd write down the reasons she doesn't like to go....and the mishaps that have happened on the way that probably didn't help matters.

Meg with Uwe in front of her classroom.

1. "I don't like it when you leave me Mama." (after Day 1)

2. "I don't like my teachers." (morning of Day 3 in the elevator) "Why?" I ask. "Because, because, hmm, because their hands are dirty." (this can't be true as the fear of H1N1 has caused all people to wash hands more)

3. Day 3&4: Meg smelled of wet pants. I found out that she wasn't wiping properly and threatened to send her in a diaper to school. Day 4 same thing, so when we told her that she was wearing a diaper the next day she screamed, "But there is NO toilet paper in the bathroom. It is on the outside and I have to walk out in front of everyone!" (Ahhh, light bulb comes on!) After getting her calmed down and convinced that she doesn't have to wear a diaper, I tell her the secret to Chinese bathrooms......get the toilet paper before entering the stall. (Ahh, another light bulb goes on!)

4. Morning of Day 7 she begins to like going. She stops crying and walks into her classroom all happy. Until Day 8.....I have to drop Marcus off at school this day. We take our bikes. I load my bike in the elevator with Matthea already strapped in. Meg walks in and stands behind me. Marcus gets his bike on. First floor...Marcus gets off; Meg can't, so I maneuver and get my bike out. Marcus holds the up button so the doors don't shut on Meg, only the doors shut anyway. I scramble to get the bike balanced and try to get the door to open, but too late. Door closes. Meg is gone. We hear screaming as the elevator travels down to the basement. A few minutes later it comes back up and a scared little girl runs out and grabs my leg. "Mama, you shut the door on me!" I tried to explain what happened, but it just didn't make sense to a 4 year old. But, she made it to school and went inside without crying....a miracle I do believe.

With all of this, she is still going without crying. The teachers say that she is trying to speak Chinese, which is a relief to my ears! My fears of the summer of having a kicking, screaming, clinging daughter for 2-3 months has vanished. She is totally ready for school and it is so exciting to see her have a love for it.
Thought you might like to see what my bike looks like with both girls on it. I LOVE it!