Taxi Cab Mom

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like a volunteer taxi cab driver who pulled a double shift?

That was exactly how I felt yesterday.

Although I'd consider myself real organized and a well planner, I ended up with way too many appointments on my "to-do" list that were with of high priority and required a lot of miles on my Toyota Sequoia.

My day started real early as I headed out the door for a weekly women's bible study that I teach at my church. I returned home around noon only with enough time to throw some ground beef, hot Italian sausage and Prego in a crock pot so my family would have something to fill there bellies with when dinner time rolled around.

Carson had a dentist's appointment for 1:20pm so I had to dash over to his school, check him out early, and head across town so we wouldn't be late. Carson's tooth had been bothering him and he was scared to death that he'd have his very first cavity. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no fond memories of getting cavities filled when I was a little girl so the "C" word was off limits to both of us.

After the appointment, I met Keith half way home so he could pick up Carson just in enough time for me to swing by Brody's school and pick him up. Brody had a dermatologist's appointment in downtown Charlotte at 3:30 pm. It was raining outside and I knew the traffic would probably be bad...and it was.

The week before I had noticed a couple of moles on Brody's back that popped up from out of no where. One of them looked very suspicious so I thought it would be best to have it checked. I'm so glad I did because the doctor agreed and they did a biopsy right on the spot. We won't get the result for another 10 days but I'm so thankful that I took him right away and didn't procrastinate as I'm known to do at times.

We were late for the appointment and had to wait longer than normal to see the doctor so by the time we headed back home it was 5:15 pm...rush hour...in downtown Charlotte...while it was raining...you get the picture?

Surprisingly, I made it home by 6:25 pm only for Carson to tell me that his end of the season basketball pizza party started at 6:30 pm and we were going to be late! Oh ya, I forgot to write that down on my calendar. Thank goodness I had the mind to use the crock pot today.

Off we went (once again) in the wild blue yonder to Brooklyn Brother's. My phone was ringing as we pulled up to our final destination and it was my sister. We had been talking on and off throughout the day about my dad. He has been sick for a while now and we were both very concerned.

As I stood outside in the cold rain, looking at all the people inside eating pizza, laughing, and appearing to be having a great time, I talked with my sister about the possibility of admitting my dad into the hospital (more about that in another post). This day really wasn't going the way I had imagined and I couldn't help but think about what tomorrow would bring. Would I have to jump on a plane and head to Houston to be with my dad? I was starting to feel really overwhelmed.

Carson and me returned home around 8:30 pm. As I cleaned up the dinner dishes and barked orders to my kids about finishing up their homework and getting in bed, I realized how completely frustrated I was about my day.

I thought about all the mail that was stacked up on my desk which never got opened, all the bills that never got paid, all the emails that were never responded to, and all the calls that I was suppose to return and didn't. The thought ran across my mind "You didn't get a single thing done today".

I walked over to my favorite chair, plopped myself down and began to silently pout to Jesus. I was rehearsing the verses of that well known "wow is me" song which is on my top ten list and asked Him to please give me a new perspective on the day....and He did.

He reminded me that although I didn't get anything done at my office, I did choose to take care of the important things that matter. He reminded me that family comes first and that I had made the right choices. He also showed me that in the midst of all those errands and running around town like a crazy women, several amazing things happened and special moments had be sprinkled throughout my day that I didn't even notice:

The women in my weekly bible study had really been encouraged by the class that morning. They had a great time visiting with one another and several of them had some great ah-ha moments while we studying God's Word together.

I was able to hug on and comfort Carson in the waiting room of our dentist's office while he whispered to me, "Mom, I'm really scared" and then witness the huge smile on his face a few minutes later when the dentist said "Great job Carson, no cavities!"

Keith and I got to squeeze in a mini-date at Dairy Queen when we rendezvoused half way from home so he could take Carson the rest of the way for me. We also celebrated Carson's no cavity announcement over a chocolate extreme blizzard, chocolate dipped ice cream cone, and hot fudge sundae with nuts and whipped cream.

Brody and I sang silly songs on the way back from the dermatologist's appointment to pass the time and keep our attitudes positive in all that traffic.

I got to hear from one of the mom's at Brooklyn Brothers pizza joint how God is using her to serve in the youth ministry at a local church.

Yesterday certainly felt like a volunteering-taxi cab driving-double shift day but oh the blessings that our family experienced because of it were amazing! I'm so thankful that God changed my perspective and helped me see the day through His eyes instead of just my own. What a huge difference it made!

When you're having one of those volunteering-taxi cab driving-double shift-I'm getting nothing accomplished days, I'd encourage you to take a moment, pause, ask God to change your perspective, and show you the many blessings He's sprinkled throughout your day. I'm quite confident that He will.