Crazy Day!

It was last Thursday morning.  The day started out pretty normal.  The kids were off to school on-time.  I had enjoyed a pretty easy and productive morning.  However, as early afternoon arrived, something was nagging at me.  I hadn't seen my purse all day...where could it be...when did I last see it?  Not in the car, not in the house...where could it be?  Then, I remembered.  The last time I had seen it was at the church activity the night before...I must have left it in the building.  I didn't have keys to the church, and would it still be there?  Surely no one would steal in the church...

I needed to take a deposit to the bank for PTO.  I prepared my deposit planning to stop by a friend's house to borrow her church keys, head to the bank and drop off the deposit, find my purse at the church, and pick up Alex from school.  The deposit was sitting on the passenger seat in a ziploc bag ready to go.  My afternoon of errands would be easy and orderly.

Stop 1: Pick up keys.  Five minutes standing outside talking to my friend was all Jarem needed to take full advantage of having the car to himself.  Jumping over seats and pushing every button (including the locking mechanism)...he was in his element.  He even ended up locking me out of the car with the keys inside, but with a few clever tactics from my friend and I, I made it back into the car with keys in hand.

Stop 2: The bank.  I'm heading towards the bank when I glance over to make sure the deposit is still sitting on the seat.  It's gone!  Where is that deposit?  It was sitting on the seat, I know it was.  Where did it go?  The search begins...under seat, over seat, between seats...no deposit.  Well, with time lost, it is now time to pick up Alex.  Where could it have fallen due to Jarem's climbing escapades? Did I leave the deposit home?

Stop 3: The school.  I pick up Alex who is completely disinterested in helping find the deposit...where is that deposit?

Stop 4: The church. Yes! I find my purse, and I'm out the door. Hmmm...we're near Wal-Mart, maybe we ought to stop and get party stuff for Alex's party tomorrow.  Alex is in agreement.  We head to Wal-Mart.

Stop 5: Wal-Mart.  I had a plan for what to get. I sent Alex in another direction to get something, and he comes back with many items that were not on the mental list!  We're in a hurry. "Fine", I say, "get your candy, egg nog, and popsicles..."  I shouldn't have given in, but I need to get home.  The girls should be home from school by now.

Stop 6: Home.  Yep, the girls made it home.  They have plenty of homework and Jesikah has an atom project due tomorrow of which she hasn't started.  Is the deposit inside the house?  Nope, still no deposit.  Jesikah starts to cry, "Mom, you could go to jail if we don't find the money."  Alex gets interested finally in helping.  We search, search, search for 30 minutes.  It's past 5:00pm, I have a meeting at 6pm that is 20 minutes away.  The kids haven't eaten dinner, and what can I even make for dinner?  I still haven't found the money. Eric is working late.

Amidst all the chaos, Jarem picks this moment to ask his nagging question:
"Mommy, we're going to live forever, right?"
 I take a second to answer him, "No honey, everyone will die someday"
Jarem: (sobbing now) "But I don't want to die and I don't want you to die or anyone to die.  Why does Jesus want us to die?  Why is Jesus' plan for us to die?"
Me: (sitting down and taking him on my lap) "Jarem, we'll all live again together someday.  Jesus made that possible."
Jarem: "But that will be a long, LONG time. I don't want to be dead in the ground forever.  I don't want to die.  Why do we have to die?" (still crying and sobbing)
Me: "Sweetheart, that is just part of what we have to do.  It might be a long time, but we can be together again after we die.".
Jarem: (can't stop crying and sobbing continuing for at least 10-15 minutes more)
I continue trying to comfort him and desperately change the subject.  My heart goes out to him for his question.  He was truly upset that we will die someday.  I can't blame him.  That is a lot for a little 4 year old to swallow.  But, why now, amidst all the chaos, is he asking about dieing.  Is he worried that Mommy is going to jail?

I'm ready to go search the middle school parking lot.  The car is on and I'm in the driver's seat ready to leave.  Alex says, "Tell me one more time where the money was and how it got lost?"  I explain it to him one last time as I'm ready to pull out.  As he is standing in the doorway on the passenger side, his eyes move down and he pulls out a secret compartment under the passenger seat.   And...there's the bag of money!!!  This is a compartment (after owning the van for over a year) I never knew it existed.  It must have slid down when Jarem was wrestling around on the seat.  Whew!  $775 would not have been easy to come up with!!

That's a relief!  I figure out something for dinner.  Maybe I should just skip the meeting.  It's a church meeting...I don't have to go, but I really should.  Ok, I'm going.  Eric is going to be home later, but he is going to help Jesikah with her project. 

I finally head out to the car.  I'm already going to be late, quite late.  Guess what!?!  I'm out of gas! After a stop at the gas station, I call Eric and ask directions to the church (which is a different building than our regular Sunday meetings).  He gives me directions and I proceed to tell him about my very frustrating afternoon.  He says he's sorry, and we hang up.  I arrive at the church 30 minutes late.  I hesitate to even go in...maybe I should just turn around now.  I finally decide that I'm already here, I just as well stay.  I can quietly sneak in the side door and not make a scene.  So, I do.  The meetings turn out to be very uplifting and bring peace to my frustrating day.  I'm glad I went.

I head out to the car, and as I click the remote to unlock the doors, I see something inside my car.  At first, I thought I had the wrong car but my keys wouldn't open the wrong car.  As I get closer, I can see that there is a bouquet of flowers inside with a note from my husband along with my favorite candy bar and the movie, "UP" (a movie he had talked me out of buying the day before).  The candy bar got eaten right away, which is why it isn't in the picture, and that alone made me feel much better!!!  I was SO surprised and happy that I was nearly in tears.  It was THE sweetest gesture of love. 

And that is not all...this is what I found at home...

Jesikah's completed atom project including report in which Eric had helped her and purchased supplies and last, but not least, a clean kitchen.

I thank my kind and loving husband for making a perfect ending to a far-from-perfect day!