Sometimes, You Just Need a Shop-Vac

Ethan's very first day of kindergarten is Friday and so we baked his favorite sugar cookies to take to school as a snack.  And that is where my perfect mommy façade breaks down.  Ethan was trying to be helpful since he loves to bake and he decided to carry both the flour and sugar tubs at the same time.  They are both really large and heavy and just as I told him he should really carry only one at a time, I heard:  CRASH!

It was one of those messes where you just stare at it for a while wondering where you start.  There was no way my dust buster was up to the challenge and sweeping with two young children underfoot is never a good idea.  I called my husband since he always has good ideas for my quandaries.  "Get the shop-vac from the garage," was Brian's answer.  If ever a clean up job warranted a shop-vac, this was it.  I ran to the garage to get it.

When I came back less than a minute later, I was taken aback, though not really surprised by how fast the mess had grown.  Notice the little foot prints.  Our gremlin in residence thought that it was amazing that he could make those as he screamed, "Snow! Snow! Snow!"  And, by the time I snapped the photo, and plugged in the vacuum, the mess had spread to about ten feet.

I've never really understood the old classic TV shows when the mother is shown vacuuming in high heels and pearls.  While it is a nice idealist thought, I don't think I have ever nor will ever come to a place in my life where that is actually a reality. My vacuuming experiences are more often than not covered in some foreign substance, on hands and knees, and looking decidedly disheveled.  I don't get to wear pearls since my kids would think they were candy and try to eat them.

I've decided though, that this is really okay since it is real.  I am blessed by an amazing family and have wonderful friends and even though I live in pain everyday with my fibromyalgia, oftentimes disheveled and covered in flour, I wouldn't trade any of it in because in my mess, I get to see God.  One of my favorite verses is one I learned in Junior High; Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."  It reminds me that I'm not alone and I have a Heavenly Father who cares for me.  That is pretty special and something that gets ignored if I pretend that everything is idealistic when it isn't.

As we enter this new phase of life with kindergarten, it helps me to remember that sometimes, mess do take the shop-vac and that's okay.  God's hand prints are everywhere, especially in the messes, pointing me to Himself.  Kind of like Luke's hand prints...