January 3

Three Graces Overheard

This one was tough, especially since the kids went back to school today and I spent most of the day in solitude. 

1. In the car on the way to Josh's orthodontist appointment, I told the kids that since our "babysitting experiment" went so well the other night (we went to a party and left Josh in charge since none of our regular babysitters were available), we might actually be ready to make it a more frequent occurrence. And since they'll be saving us quite a few babysitting dollars, we would put the saved money into a special jar -- and they can collectively decide how to spend it. Maybe they'll want to save it for spending money on vacation, or use it to buy an XBox -- they can decide. It will be an interesting experiment in cooperation, but I enjoyed listening to them debate the merits of each option. 

2.  In the car on the way home from the afore-mentioned orthodontist appointment, Josh was surly and snarly with all of us, but especially his sister, who was sharing the back seat with him.  But even after he snarled at her and accused her of "enjoying his torment and pain," she didn't lose her temper and lash back.  That was definitely grace.

3.  I love to hear Josh say grace at dinner.  His are short and sweet and to the point.  There's food on the table, after all, and we'd hate for it to get cold.  But they always end with "please bless us, everyone we care about, and even those we don't."  It always tickles me, and he gives me dirty looks every time I giggle during grace, but I think he's gotten the real point of grace.  After all, it's easy to ask for blessings for those we love, but we need to remember those we don't, too.