The Wedding

Jack is drunk on Diet Coke. He pulls his face as close as it can get to mine, and slurs his words, mumbling something about his Nana. He continues on, leaving my face, making ape-like movements and getting closer and closer to his new found playmate. The children are excited! They are in the midst of the wedding celebration that will reach us quickly tomorrow. They cannot contain their contagious joy.

It's only one o'clock, and Emma begs to wear her flower girl dress. She finally agrees to wait, and immediately gets to work. She helps Nana with the flowers, the bride's mother with the tables, and then she has disappeared. As soon as Amy has arrived, she has gone to be in her proximity. She has found her celebrity.

Emma can't stop spinning. It makes the bottom of her dress look like a lasso. She is on the stage of the Auditorium calling to the boys to dance with her. Later, she dances next to the speakers with her friends, then with her Nathan.

At the reception, Jack continues to search for Amy, enamored by her beauty. When he finally has his princess in his presence, he is insistent on stealing a kiss. Amy graciously leans downs. Jack stretches up his chin and plants one on her lips.
The day after, we are wrestling in our pajamas. Jack's laughter makes me laugh. I beg him to marry me and he immediately declines. Why? I insist. I am going to marry 'Net Amy he responds.

Parrots

We are rounding the corner of the driveway through Taco Bell. My window is down & the air is beautiful. He approaches our truck from my blind spot.
Excuse me, Miss. Do you have any spare change for the homeless?
It is in this moment too many things are pouring into my subconscious. Whether or not this man is homeless is insignificant. My children are watching.

I look down and notice a dollar in my console and hand it to the man. We shake hands through my window and he wishes God's blessings upon me. Emma immediately floods the cabin with questions.
Jesus wants us to treat every person we encounter as it were Him. I clarify. This man says he doesn't have a home, so we ought to take care of him.
But he is not Jesus, she fires back.
No, but we still need to treat every person with respect and compassion.

I find that no matter what the situation, my blessings have become my personal parrots. If I ask Emma to put the dogs into the kennel, she obediently yells at them to KENNEL UP! And continues to yell at them. Her voice can perfectly echo how I call each of the dogs by name. (It usually does not sound pleasant.)

On the contrary, I have been insistent that Emma & Jack assist in taking care of the home: clearing dishes, picking up toys. Recently at a church dinner, Jack enjoyed his brownie sundae. When he was finished, he quietly got down, excused himself past the Pastor's wife, and threw away his dishes.

Just a while ago, Roy & I shared a tender moment in our kitchen. Emma spotted us and instantly joined us in our huddle. With her small arms wrapped around our legs, she looked into our faces with pride and security.

Our children, placed in the care of us by our Creator, are constantly learning from our actions, regardless if we are saying anything or not. They will see how we treat and what we say about our spouses, our friends, our enemies, strangers in our community, and then, mimic us in our actions. It is in these reflections, I need to be committed to being transparent all the time and that my actions, even when unseen, glorify Him.