Stuck in the Seatbelt

  So I know I'm totally going to regret this, but Little Miss has been napping for an hour now!  That's twice as long as she napped yesterday...and counting!  She's such a light sleeper if I sneeze or the phone rings or someone comes to the door she is up and any hope of getting her back to sleep is gone....

  I tried putting her upstairs in the second bedroom but she started panicking a bit when she woke up like she was afraid that I left her.  Then she would wake up as soon as I put her down...and forget going back to sleep again.  UGH!  So yesterday after her half hour nap (resulting in such a "joy" of a girl) the hubby moved her bed back down here.  So far so good, I tiptoe around and hate to do much for fear of waking her, but she's sleeping and I get a little downtime to do some typing so I guess this is it.  I just hope her baby brother is a better sleeper when he makes his appearance!  Their Mom and I are afraid we are going to have our hands full when he does...definately going to be a big adjustment for Little Miss!

  Soooo after a big "fight" at naptime with her yesterday and some "round and round" discussions about Awana music, which should have been simple but for some reason got very complicated and frustrating on my part, another "lovely" cold, last minute typing, and some odd phone calls I was not in such a great mood to go to Awana last night.  Definately out of character for me!  I even told the hubby that I just wanted to crawl into bed and try to start over tomorrow.  So glad I didn't do that!

  It started out a little frustrating, our Counsel Time speaker walking in at the last minute, one of the kids getting sick just after walking in the door, discussions of changes that need to be made on another photo project I am working on...which normally I don't mind at all but with my mindset you know how that goes sometimes...

  But sitting and listening to our Counsel Time on Daniel I have to admit my heart started to soften a bit.  Then a good conversation with one of the best friends about her trip taking her son back to the airport as he heads back to Afghanistan after his two week break home.  Then off to the Spark's Counsel Time (it was backwards night so the Sparks could get into the Valentine's store first....so for one store they aren't getting all the "left overs"...) to put the words up on screen for one of their songs and finally down for handbook time.

  All the record keeping had been done when I got down there and I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed when my clubber told me that she didn't have any sections ready.  But then she told me she wanted to talk...she was worried about a family that attends her church occasionally and her 4 - H club.  This is the Father's second marriage and it's not a great relationship, the kids are told they don't have to obey, they have horrible language and social skills and she just wants to show them a different way, the right way.  Wow.

  I was humbled.

  I said a quick prayer of thanks, thanks that she trusted me enough to talk about this, that she treasured my advice, that she had such a heart for others and wanted to see them come to know the Lord....and we talked about how prayer was the best and biggest thing she could do.  And how that if she saw them don't avoid them but make it a point to say hi, how are you...they don't have to be your "best friend" but "physically" show them that you are different, show them that agape love, and how they probably aren't going to "drop everything and run to you" that second, but I'm sure sometime in the future they are going to come to a place that they stop and wonder why you did that.  Why you didn't just look down on them and judge them like everyone else.

  I told her of a personal experience of mine, where one of my classmates...who readily admits that she was not one of the nicest girls in school, contacted me on facebook and said that she had been thinking about me and how I stopped and helped her when she was having trouble with her asthma while running the mile in PE.  Why hadn't I just kept going and ignored her like everyone else??  Come to find out she had become a Christian and wanted to thank me.  Wow.  By the way, I really have no recollection of this event!

  After our talk we spent some time in prayer not only for this family but for my clubber as well, that the Lord would give her the words and the actions to show them His love.  I also told her how proud I was of her, that she had such a sensitive heart for others and was looking for a way to help when so many others judge and move on and promised to continue pray for her, and them. 

  After we were dismissed and everyone was milling around waiting for rides home I found her again and told her she could email or whatever she needed anytime, that I was here for her.  She smiled and thanked me for doing this for her and I got teary all over again!

  It's so easy to get caught up in the negatives and day to day things just like I had yesterday and this fifth grade girl gave me the "shake" I needed to pull myself out of it and put my focus back onto Him and others where it needs to be!  I only wish that the kids from my Sunday School class and youth group could have been there....this is EXACTLY what we have been talking about!!!

  After there were just a few of us left I noticed another leader sitting cross legged on the floor with a couple of clubbers and after getting a picture of the three of them sitting there the leader shared a sweet story about why these two clubbers were so special to him.  I don't know how much of this story he wants out, as it is a bit personal but I will say that I had goosebumps and tears all over again!

  All the kids had gone and there were just a handful of leaders left, I went to our Commander and I said "I'm sorry but I don't think Awana was for the clubbers tonight, it was for me!"  I explained to him and he nodded his head and said yes, that's the way it happens sometimes that we definately get more of a blessing than the clubbers some nights!

  I can't wait to go back next week!