Yesterday, after being found by an older brother, my 3 year old (who is not yet potty trained) came down the hall wearing a shirt, a slight grin and a bare and very dirty bottom. In one hand he held a dirty wipe.
I can't say that I completely appreciated his effort; fortunately the mess didn't go beyond his body or the wipe he held.
After voicing my lack of appreciation, I took the dirty wipe and disposed of it and ushered him into the bathroom where I continued to voice my motherly concerns and plunked him in the tub. I used the hand held shower head to clean the poop from his hands and the rest of him, and then cleaned the tub. As I ran him a bath, I continued to remind him that when he poops, he needs to come and tell mommy so I can help him.
I'm a mom to 8. Though I don't have to remind 6 of them to come and let me help them clean themselves (they are all trained....well, for the most part) sometimes I do have to remind them of other things.
No matter how much you love and support a friend, you are not responsible for the choices they make.
You are not alone, but are a part of something bigger.
You are destined for greatness.
...and sometimes, when I am frustrated and angry, I remind them that I love them...no matter what. That one is tough and one I need to do with more regularity.
There are times when I wish I could hear God like Rhys heard me....well, perhaps not. God often uses my kids to speak to me and at some point after the clean up was finished, my thoughts turned to myself. When I am dealing with my own stuff, I feel dirty and often alone. Sometimes I think of one or two others who I could go to and there have been times when I have reached out to ask for help. Most often, however, I stuggle with the stuff until I reach a point where there is no where else to go but to the One who made me; the one who knows me and yet loves me....even when I'm covered in filth.
Yesterday, God used Rhyser to get my attention....and I was listening. I need to keep that mental picture of Rhys as a reminder of where I need to go for help first.
