Monday, August 22, 2011

Not Technically My Kid

LaRena commented recently that it's wonderful to have all your kids around the dining room table. Oh, it IS!

But what's even more wonderful is having them all at church, in the same service. Doesn't matter to me if we sit together. We often have somebody in the front pew, another near the back, and several of us scattered through different sections of the choir. I have developed this mother-hennish habit that I will locate & count my kids during church. Who's here? Where are they? It takes a whoppin' couple of seconds. I don't do it every Sunday. But there is a pervasive joy when I notice that they're all there, or even that they're all there but one. So yesterday I'm doing a quick head-count shortly before the opening hymn:

Philip next to me. Andrew in front of me. Maggie a few down from Philip. Bethany (with Evan) near the back on the lectern side. Katie (with her three additions to the family) several pews behind me. That's five!

And then came the question mark in my brain. Wait -- Rachel's not here and Paul's not here. I have six kids. Six minus two is four. How come I counted five?

Suddenly tears of joy welled up: I'd counted Beppers. I don't know whether it's good or naughty. But I counted her as part of mine.




After a while I realized that I'd had the same experience with Anthea during symposium. And yes, Rachel, I realize you were there too, but I didn't know it yet when I was counting.

8 comments:

  1. Yeah, Matt's like Anthea and tends to be ready for church in time to come in during the first hymn. :D

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  2. And now you've brought tears to my eyes. You don't know how comforting it is for me to know that you are near her since I can't be.

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  3. I don't think I'm going to be nearly as much help and comfort to her as I'd like to be. Good grief, I'm not nearly as much help and comfort to my own kids who are still living under my roof as I want to be! [sigh]

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  4. That brings tears to my eyes, too. I love having other people's kids in my life that I think of like my own...and there are a few. Speaking of that...when Mary was there, at Peace, yesterday, she didn't have her whole day completely planned...she knew she would be spending the day with either Maggie or Olivia (or both) but all the details were not completely figured out. I didn't worry...or ask her to figure it all out because I knew you or Julie would take care of her. Didn't even have to ask...just knew it. I love having friends like that so very much!

    Laura

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  5. I think Maggie had thought it all through. Gary and I weren't going to be at home on Sunday. After church, we were taking the pile of wedding gifts over to Madison, and then we were going to APT. Then we learned that Andrew wasn't going to be around either. However, Philip comes over to see us on Sundays. (Just wanted you to know they weren't completely unchaperoned.) In spite of being on our way out of town, we managed to get everyone from church to our house and on Saturday evening I made sure there'd be food available after church. The kids came up with a game to play (I think). When I asked Maggie how they were getting from here to Benders', she told me who was driving, and who was being picked up by whom from the Benders'. She did a very good job of thinking through the details and seeing to each one! {You can't even imagine how big my smile is as I write this!)

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  6. Thanks so much for being there for my brother and my new sister-in-law, Susan.

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  7. I just love this, Susan.

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