My children are notorious for last minute things. "Oh Mom..I have a project due, can you help me?" Me: "When is it due?"....(long dramatic pause)..."Umm...tomorrow."
This is the point at which my speech about not waiting until the last minute ensues. Of course there are always very good reasons (aka, excuses), why these things are left until last minute. I apparently "Don't understand". But being the supportive mother that I am I do my best to help them pull things together and make it happen.
This morning was a perfect example. My son has an eighth Grade dance coming up. It's tomorrow in fact. A few months ago I asked him if he was going. His response was a very fast "no". As time got closer I asked him again (last week). "Seriously..are you going..because we have to buy a ticket?"....Again..."No mom..I'm sure!"
Famous last words!
Now...I am off on Fridays and Saturdays because I work at a Church. I'm a Coordinator there and my job is to help people 'get connected' so ultimately... they can have a more meaningful relationship with Christ. I love my job. Sometimes I wonder why God thought I could do this. I'm thinking "God? You want me to work in a position that helps people with their salvation......... but I can't even get my kids to do a project in a timely fashion? Are you sure I'm the right person for this job?" This all seems to be fine with him....and who am I to argue with God?
So anyway.......
Because of my slightly off kilter schedule, I try to sleep in on Fridays (my Saturday). It never fails though, that on the mornings that I don't actually wake up automatically at 7am, there is some kind of crisis. My husband does his best to handle them. My kids do their best to acknowledge the fact that he has just as much the ability to handle them as I do...but...they'd rather deal with me. Why is that moms? I guess thats a question for another day and another blog.
So, I wake up right before my son is heading out the door to school. He seems 'odd'. You know what I mean if you're a mom. He's not himself...got something on his mind. He's just 'off'....so I ask him the question I'm sure he was waiting for. "Whats wrong?"
"Nothing"
"Why do you seem like you've got something on your mind?"
"I don't know..I'm fine"
I'm still not buying this...but it's getting late and I figure I can get more in depth with him when he comes home later. Frankly I think my son believes I have the ability to look into his soul and know his every feeling...because when I detect something is wrong..I'm usually right. So he gives me that almost spooked 'how does she always know' look....and leaves the house.
Later in the midst of laundry (yes..I have a good time on my day off!) my husband call's me to tell me about the morning crisis that I had no idea about. Apparently our precious son, woke up and announced that he was in fact wanting to go to the dance. (I must at this point remind you that this is TOMORROW). And...that he needed money to buy a ticket. We don't usually have cash, my husband had to leave early to get to work and.....it was totally last minute. So my husband started with the' waiting till the last minute' speech. My son heard him out and asked..."When is Mom getting up?". "I don't know...and do not wake her..it's her day off"
"Look" my husband said..."If you really want to go find out if you can buy tickets at the door and we'll just do it that way...but I have no time to go to the bank now". He relied this story to me as I quickly glanced at the clock and noted that the day was half over.
When I got off the phone with my hubby I knew what I had to do.....I went to the bank and then went to the school and had my son paged to the office. He was a little shocked to see me standing there. I handed him the money for the ticket and told him I'll leave out the whole speech since Dad already covered it. My son still had that 'look'...and although we stood in a busy school office...I had to ask him again.
"Whats wrong? I know there is something wrong...please tell me" I asked..."Are your friends going? Are you just not sure who will be there?"....I usually need to do the 20 question thing to get stuff out of him. It's kind of like being on a game show called "GUESS THE CIRCUMSTANCES" ......frankly I'm pretty good at it....but sometimes it runs into over time.
"Look" I whispered "You have to get back to class..but you can talk to me if you need to..I'm here for you"
"I want to ask someone to the dance" he said...scanning my face for my reaction.
I didn't skip a beat "OH! Thats great! Thats what took you so long. So ask her! But listen you only have until 1:20 to buy a ticket...and then there's the chance that she doesn't have a ticket..so...um...buy her ticket too then! But ask her...because honestly I so wish I did certain things when I was your age...and didn't second guess myself!" At this point he was smiling and looking down. This was the very first time a girl ever came into the equation!
In all honesty I wanted to ask so 'who is she?' and 'Do I know her' and...all those other annoying questions that mothers ask. And I have to admit that part of me wanted to go up to the lady at the front desk and say..."could you page someone else to the office so my son could talk to her??" and we could take care of this business once and for all!!!!!!!!!!!
......but after all these thoughts flooded my head I was simply able to give him a quick hug and say to him in a whisper.... "Do it..go for it..I love you!" at which I received a big smile in reply.
(this picture by the way..almost made me cry because it looks like me and my son when he was smaller)
This all took place today....so I don't have an ending to this story yet! What I do have is an analogy though. An analogy of the way God responds to us when we wait until the last minute to come to him. Like a good and loving father he helps us. He knows and wishes that we would come to him sooner. He would love it if we kept him in the loop every step of the way. But even when we carry burdens alone and finally bring them to him in the last minute feeling guilty and not knowing what to say... he too whispers
"You can talk to me if you need to..I'm here for you"
