His Mercies are New Every Morning

Last Sunday was a tough one.  We had the regular stuff with Mass and Sunday School and all that, but I also had a friend coming over for prayer group and I was stressed about cleaning, and timing, and a bunch of other stuff.  I also wore my new shoes. I love them!  They just aren't great for walking in...or chasing three year olds down the sidewalk after Mass.

When Ben started going a little faster, I sped up.  He noticed and sped up a little bit more.  To him it's a game.  To me it sets up a panic situation because he is racing towards the road and I am wearing shoes I can't chase him down in.  Thankfully, he stopped at the corner and I was able to get pretty close. But when he noticed that I was close, he started walking again, despite me calling his name and telling him to wait.  There is a road and then the exit lane from the parking garage.  I reached out and snatched the hood on his jacket just as he was getting close to a van leaving the parking deck.

He got mad at me.  When I grabbed his jacket, his hood caught up around his neck and probably choked him for a brief second.

Later that day, I was chatting with a friend on facebook and she mentioned that she had been in the van leaving the parking deck when I grabbed Ben's hood.  I was embarrassed because she had seen me do it, but then the conversation didn't go the way I thought it would.

I'm glad she referred to my hand signal I have still not perfected or trademarked! I'm glad she told me she thought I was doing a good job.  I'm glad she has kids that try her patience; not because I'd wish that on someone, but because she always seem to have it together and it's nice to know that she doesn't either and I'm not alone.

There are a lot of days when I have to remind myself that I get another chance tomorrow to be a great mom. That I have another chance tomorrow to get it right.  I am thankful that God lets me start each new day with a clean slate and I need to remember to allow my children the same thing.  Even if they are running away from me across the parking lot.