Sunday, January 6, 2013

The safe spot

Happy Epiphany!  

I am not like those wonderful blogger mom's that celebrate Epiphany with creative little traditions shared with loving kids around a welcoming dinner table, topped with mouth-watering goodness served on a silver platter.  So- if you're looking for that, you are in the wrong place!  Hey, I actually had to go look up how to spell Epiphany correctly for this post!  The only way we celebrate Epiphany is by taking down the Christmas decorations around the house.  Usually this is keeping up holiday ornamentation much longer than any of the neighbors or friends.  However, I noticed that there are many Christmas lights still blinking in the neighborhood and after dropping in at my parents house, I saw their tree still standing tall in the corner.  Ummmm, I'm feeling a little Scroogish.   Maybe everyone one caught a bit of Christmas spirit that is thriving strong while I by passed those sentiments.  I might just be on the retail's schedule and looking towards Valentine's Day. 
All this speculations aside, I did get to celebrate Epiphany in a special way- by attending Mass not once, but twice.
Due to a cough/illness that The Bookworm caught, I was blessed to participate in an evening Mass, since she felt well enough to go later.  Now, if you asked The Boy and The Baby Boy how they felt about celebrating Epiphany this way, they wouldn't see it as a blessing per say.  If you are reading this, you either have young children or have had young children, and you can most likely understand how going to 2 Masses isn't on little ones' top 10 list of things they want to do.  A special Regency dance took the rest of the family away tonight though, so off to church went The Bookworm, Jewel, the 2 boys and myself. 

Here comes the safe spot.  Again, as parents with smaller children, you will know what I'm talking about when attending Mass with a little child in your arms and a small child at your side- there is a spot where the small child standing by you can "hide" under the one in your arms- and you cannot get to them.  Moving the infant in you arms only brings results of the sibling shuffling to keep up with the safe spot, less Mom should get hold of him- which at that point would not be good for them! 

Are you starting to see my Epiphany celebration?  It could have been titled "Jesus might have got frankincense, but if I get hold of you, you'll get a different type of sense!!@!"

Needless to say, we did make it though Mass a second time.  The boys managed to stay hidden in the safe spot, under Jewel.  And only a handful of close parishioners were entertained by the "fighting of the bull" show we put on. 

While I'm sure Jesus didn't complain about his wonderful gifts from the wise men, I too am not going to balk at the sweet little gift I received on Epiphany either.  As I nestled next to the boys tonight while tucking them in, I explained that I was going to show them mercy and not carry out punishment because it was a special day and every once in awhile I too must practice Christ's love. It was then  received that little tug on the heart when praying a forgiveness prayer with the boys.  The Baby Boy's face fell in sadness, knowing that he had hurt Mom's feelings and Jesus' too by his Mass shenanigans.  And his big brown eyes widened even more with sorrow as he looked at me as he said he was sorry.

It wasn't gold, frankincense or myrrh, but to me, it was priceless!  It's little times like this that I understand that God has created safe spots for us all- and you know when you are in them because even if  there is something/someone threatening you, your heart swells knowing that God is close and you are safe- even if it's just until you hear "Mass is ended, go in peace." 


 = PRICELESS!!

Surviving myself and enjoying my own "safe spots,"
Mary  

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