Over the course of raising my two kids, there were MANY times I lost “Mother of the Year”, one particular April Fools day would be remembered always as one of those times. My daughter was perhaps in her early teens, I am bad with dates and times, when the opportunity for this prank presented itself.
Picture if you will a lovely young lady with long flowing blonde locks getting ready for her school day. She sits on the floor in front of a floor length mirror, straightening her hair. She calls out to her mother for some help reaching a section of her hair with a flatiron. I suppose this is where a normal mom would have simply helped.
As I stood behind my daughter and prepared to render assistance, I paused to look into her trusting blue eyes reflecting back at me in the mirror. That is when the idea hit me. I mustered all the seriousness I could manage in my voice and pretended to look carefully at the roots of her hair. I think I could have earned an Oscar for my performance as I leaned in closer and gave her a worried look over her shoulder into the mirror. “um, okay now…don’t panic Ashley, but I think you may have lice”, I said in an unnaturally calm tone. Yep, the reaction was priceless……her expression was a mix of fear, panic and desperation….”Noooooooo, Mom!” she cried out. “April Fools!” I responded with a glee unbecoming a good mom. Yep, pretty sure she still does not think this as funny as I do. Today, and each April Fools day since then, I can’t help but think of her. I think of my sweet, amazing daughter and the young woman she has become and I smile.
Today I wondered if God was playing an April Fools day prank on me. From my window it looked like a perfectly sundrenched Spring day….but upon leaving the warmth of my home, a fiercely chilly wind slapped me in the face and sent me back into the house for a heavier jacket. The warmth of the season may not be upon us yet, but that has not stopped God’s creation for pushing forth in all its glory. My yard is dotted with determined daffodils and the early shoots of what will soon be tulips. I’m thinking I need to learn from this example. It is time to stop waiting for perfect conditions, situations, or time. Like my resolute daffodils and tulips, I need to push through the barriers I have placed around myself. Maybe, like me, you too need to push through some stuff that has kept you burdened or distracted form your goals. I pray we find encouragement in every spring flower we see in this season. May we find more than foolishness in this wonderful time.
“for behold, the winter is passed, the rain is gone and over. The flowers have already appeared in the land…”
(Song of Sol. 2:11)
Tuesday With Teri 