What a sense of humor God has, but boy is He a great teacher.
After a challenging week with the kids I wanted to go to church alone this morning. I needed a little peace and quiet, and the past few Sunday's they hadn't been little model citizens, so I left them at home.
So, what happened? God played a little game with me.
Two 'rambunctious' kids decided they wanted to sit in the pew in front of their mother...beside me in the front row. We usually sit there because of my responsibilities at some services and because my oldest likes an unobstructed view of the action at the altar. Unfortunately it also provides the officiants an unobstructed view of the action in the front row! These kids, they did exactly what my kids normally do: fidget, argue, ruffle pages in the song books, drop things then run around the front to retrieve them... The irony wasn't lost on me, in fact it plopped itself down on my lap and gazed up at me with a little smirk the way only irony could. Surprisingly though, I wasn't bothered and sat enjoying the service while their mother shushed and quietly reprimanded them from her seat behind them for their behaviour. After mass I chatted with the mom and assured her the apologies she was offering weren't necessary. Her kids weren't really bothering me and I totally understood what she was going through.
Two 'rambunctious' kids decided they wanted to sit in the pew in front of their mother...beside me in the front row. We usually sit there because of my responsibilities at some services and because my oldest likes an unobstructed view of the action at the altar. Unfortunately it also provides the officiants an unobstructed view of the action in the front row! These kids, they did exactly what my kids normally do: fidget, argue, ruffle pages in the song books, drop things then run around the front to retrieve them... The irony wasn't lost on me, in fact it plopped itself down on my lap and gazed up at me with a little smirk the way only irony could. Surprisingly though, I wasn't bothered and sat enjoying the service while their mother shushed and quietly reprimanded them from her seat behind them for their behaviour. After mass I chatted with the mom and assured her the apologies she was offering weren't necessary. Her kids weren't really bothering me and I totally understood what she was going through.
Lesson learned: by leaving my kids at home this morning, I did them a great disservice. They may be restless during mass, but the disturbance I think they are creating is much greater in my eyes maybe than in the eyes of others around me. And like our pastor, Father Larry said in his homily, all are called and WELCOMED to the table... fidgety kids who are full of beans as much as the mother's who are compelled to 'shush' them.
