Saved by GRACE

Some weeks are simply harder than others when it comes to Mommyhood, and this has definitely been one of those weeks. I haven't been able to claim the "terrible twos" as our reality...until now. I'm now calling it the "terrible 2 1/2s" and have had to ask the LORD for an extra helping of His grace to survive the last several days. As He always does, He provides in such timely & creative ways.

Paul's mom usually makes at least one weekly visit out to Katy to see the Girls. Yesterday was the day. By the time she arrived (around 3:00), I had already raised my voice more than 75 times...attempted to resolve more than 25 sisterly squabbles...and was down to counting the milliseconds until Paul got home from work. NeNe barely made it in the door when I grabbed my keys and told her, "I'll be back in a bit; just call my cell if you need me!" I was in the car and heading to ANYWHERE...it didn't matter. I simply needed O-U-T!

My car--and my caffeine craving---led me directly to the nearby Starbucks. With one eye on my watch, I knew I had a good hour to spend sipping & savoring my yummy Starbucks and pouring into the latest People magazine before Mommyhood would come calling me back home. Just being out and alone, I was already winding down as I entered the coffee shop.

This is where the real story takes place. Everything up to this point is simply Mommy needing to vent jargon that may have diverted your attention to this lengthy posting. If you're still reading, take note. Upon entering Starbucks yesterday, I was greeted by one of the nice, young, male baristas. He looked at me with one hand on his mop and the other on the door and said, "Hey, Guy!" I literally laughed outloud and replied in a deep "manly" voice, "Well, Hello!" I not only got a good laugh out of the barista and his fellow co-workers, but I also was handed a delicious coffee Frappacino at NO charge! The barista was overly apologetic...admitting he had been there "all day" and was just a little "distracted." I laughed along with him but said I'd probably think twice about wearing my black visor out of the house next time : ).

The sweet and timely blessing out of all of this is that his very sweet female co-worker thought I was such a "good sport" that she gave me my drink for free. I told her that I was happy to pay and that it really did NOT bother me..in fact, I appreciated the laughter it brought my way. When she refused to accept my money, I told her what a HUGE blessing this was. Mommy only had a short amount of time to "escape & refuel" and was also trying to watch her "spending" on NON-necessities like over-priced, frozen coffee drinks (i kept that part to myself). But, that was the truth and it really was such a timely blessing.

I found the most comfortable, oversized (over-sat-in) chair in the corner and savored every sip & every second of my guilty pleasure (People magazine)...not to mention some pretty good people-watching, as well. When I finally got up to leave and thanked the generous barista for my drink, I asked her, "What's your name?" With a sweet, friendly response she answered, "GRACE!"

Yesterday afternoon, God poured out his GRACE...in more ways than one! Thank you, Jesus, that your mercies are new every morning....and some cloudy afternoons.