Sunday, November 26, 2006

And Sunday Morning Rolls Around Again


It seems at our new church that there is always something going on so there is never a set routine for Sunday mornings. This morning, Tony and Dominyk have their debut as bell ringers in the new kids bell choir. So, Jimmy went with Bart at 8, Rand is taking Tony and Dominyk at 8:20, and I’ll leave with the other five at 8:45. Lately if I don’t get there by 8:50 or so it’s hard to find a seat -- which is great news, but a little hard to get used to. It’s hard to find a place to park even.

Kyle needs a ride back to college (not what we had expected) and Bart was heading to St. Cloud tomorrow, so instead now he is leaving a day early. So I’m going to do it alone for a week. I don’t mind doing it alone most of the time, but with Mike being in and out and not accounted for at least half the time, it’s a little disconcerting. As Dominyk puts it, “I don’t like it when Mike and his friends come in and out at night all the time. It creeps me out.” We’re just hoping they’ll have court soon and so something with him instead of letting him run wild, but they probably won’t.

On Saturday I get to present the opening and closing talks at a conference entitled, “Positive Parenting in the Face of Challenge.” I’m not sure exactly how to prepare for it or what I’ll say, but I think my theme is going to be that we may not be able to fix these kids, but there are things we can learn along the way that will help us to have some joy in the journey, even if the result isn’t the way we had hoped.

I have been particularly whiny lately on the blog, but most days I am still able to see the humor and find a moment of joy each day. Here was yesterdays:

Dominyk was lying down on my bed last night when the phone rang. He had just heard me tell Sadie, moments before, that if it was for Salinda or MIke she was to say that they did not have phone privileges. So Dominyk answered the phone and I heard him say, “I’m sorry. Mike does not have phone privileges . . . pause . . . Ok. Bye.”

I asked what they had said and he said that MIke was supposed to call her back. But I explained that we didn’t take messages for people without phone privileges. “He’ll just call her back anyway,” Dominyk retorted.

I said, “no he won’t. Look at the nightstand.” He looked there, surprised to see the phone from the kitchen unplugged and in my bedroom. When he realized time implications of this (it’s the only phone not locked up any more) he said, “You’re really smart Mommy. That’s why I love you so much!”

And after a day that didn’t have a lot of positives I went to bed smiling.

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