It’s All a Matter of Perspective

Today brought with it one of those moments that I like to affectionately call "Pandelirium!". Yes, I know that's not a real word, but it's one that Jason and I often borrow from the American comedian, Jeff Foxworthy. He uses it in one of his stand-up routines when describing a tornado; we use it to describe what happens in our house on occasion. It's one of those moments when everything seems to happen all at once.

Take today, for example. I was in the middle of a conversation via text with my mom, while my oldest son, Caleb, was wishing the rain would go away, and my two youngest children, Justus & Emma, were thoroughly enjoying themselves splashing in the puddles. That was all fine, but then…Emma decided to come in and was instantly STARVING. Justus decided he had had enough and was sent to the bathroom to dry off, but while trying to pull the towel off the rack, he accidentally pulled the rack off the wall! At the same time, Jason sent me a text telling me he was braving the monsoon, was on his way home from work (on his motorbike), and to please have a towel ready and waiting for him. I had puddles on my tile floor (which as you know can be a health hazard and has been the cause of more than one bruised head in my household), and was noticing the rain was now blowing into the house through the various open windows. And that, friends, is "Pandelirium!"

When I sent the above tale to my mom, however, her description of Justus was different than mine would've been in that moment. She said he was such an "exuberant helper", and she could just picture his sweet little face. Wow.

Quite often as a mom, I see the need for a change of perspective when it comes to my kids. I see the day-to-day, the telling and re-telling, the training and re-training. But what hits me like a blast of fresh air is a grandparent's perspective, and better yet, God's perspective. My kids are, after all, mighty little leaders that I have the privilege of bringing up.

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