Spring is finally here! My tulips are blooming, the sun is a welcomed sight, and the Phillies are playing nearly every day. Seeing kids in Little League uniforms brings back fond memories of watching my boys playing baseball. Some of those memories, though, are not so fond.
When raising boys and Seeing Eye puppies, things can get messy (and, at times, a little gross). Like most boys, mine were not exactly neat. Their rooms were littered with dirty clothes, toys, shoes, and petrified food. Add puppies into the mix, and there were chewed clothes, toys, shoes, and less of the petrified food.
We always seemed to be running late, usually because one of the boys couldn’t find a matching shoe. But one particular day as we were running late for a baseball game, my son found all his gear, but his athletic cup had been chewed. Having sharp edges on your cup could definitely ruin a boy’s game. So I got the boys in the car and to the game and then made a bee line for the sporting goods store.
It didn’t take long to find what I needed. I was in a hurry to get it to my son before the game started or he wouldn’t be allowed to play. Rushing at the checkout, I told the cashier not to bother with a bag. I grabbed the molded plastic package and headed for the car. Just as I stepped off the curb, I must have squeezed the package too hard. The cup squirted out into the street. Not just any street, but the main street through town, filled with traffic.
I bolted after it, chasing it around in the zig zag pattern it was making as the oddly shaped object bounced this way and that. I wondered if I was on Candid Camera as I darted around in the street, chasing a runaway athletic cup. It’s good I have a sense of humor. Up to the point of the cup taking a flying leap, I was not a happy camper.
Why can’t my boys put their things away? Why are we always late? Why can’t I do a better job managing my home? But then following the bouncing cup, which ended up under my car and me lying on Main Street trying to retrieve it, I started to laugh. Why not? Being angry wasn’t going to make things any better. Sometimes it’s best to just see the humor in a crazy situation and go with it.
God has put a lot of things in my life that bring me laughter. My boys and their puppies were always good for a laugh. My sweet husband and I share lots of laughs, and my crazy friends make me laugh till my sides hurt. Over time, I did improve at managing my home and time. But even better, I learned the joy of laughing and not taking myself or life too seriously.
I arrived at the baseball field with the captured cup, found my son in the dugout, and handed it over (a little scuffed). I tried not to laugh, not wanting to draw undo attention to my 10-year-old boy. But I did warn him to be careful putting it in place. It’s a rascally little thing.
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.” (Psalm 34:1-2)
Lisa J Radcliff ~ Finding Freedom from the Past 