Miracles
The season of miracles is upon us. I couldn’t help but sit in the candlelit church Christmas Eve and feel the thick presence of hope. Isn’t that what a miracle is? Hope answered. Hope fulfilled. Hope reassured? We had a blessed Christmas and it shames me to think that I am going to compare the miracle of the Christ child to a miracle performed by one of my children. But for humor’s sake, don’t judge me too harshly.
The blessed event happened the day after Christmas. Does your house look like mine on December 26th? Destroyed? Devastated? Disheveled? I bet there are a few more “D” words out there but I know, you know, just what my house looked like, cause I’d bet all the Christmas cookies yours looked the same. So, it was a surprise for me to see a fresh tablecloth on the kitchen table. The white poinsettia placed squarely in the center and no crumbs from baby Jesus’ birthday cake to be found.
“Wow, how nice, someone in this house changed the grubby cloth.” I thought to myself. But then it hits me. No child or husband, enthralled with new video games or drinking coffee and reading the paper would change a tablecloth unless there was a spill. I dash to the laundry room. Sure enough in the basket that collects random bathroom towels and the contents of gym bags, lays the old tablecloth. I open it up and see the giant spot, sniff, and ascertain the culprit. Orange Juice. Only one person in the house drinks orange juice in the afternoon, and this same person often spills.
“JP!” I yell as my eleven year old tumbles down the stairs, shifting from a new computer game to a new video game. I stop him dead in his tracks with a full-on frontal hug, the type of hug that embarrasses eleven year old boys.
“JP, did you spill your orange juice.”
“Yeah,” he nods under my grip.
“JP, did you change the tablecloth after you spilled the orange juice?”
“Yeah,” he smirks as he feels my grip tighten.
“JP, did you even put the centerpiece back in the middle of the table?”
“Yeah,” near full smile spreads across his face as he sees my delight.
“It’s a miracle! JP you got it. You got it. After all these years you got it. Thank you.” I squeeze him so tight he laughs.
Hope is thick in our house and miracles happen every day.
11 Responses to “Miracles”
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December 30th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Ohhh…..I love this! My kind of miracle.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
That is a bonefide miracle!!! Blessings and Happy New year. May those miracles proliferate throughout 2008. Hey! 2008 a time to proliferate!
December 31st, 2007 at 10:37 am
It’s the little miracles like a kid FINALLY hearing our words that can be the most amazing!
Happy New Year!
December 31st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Blessed is she who finds that she speaks not into an entirely empty wasteland; she will receive her heart’s desire…well…sort of…okay, more like being thrown a bone, but it’s a start.
January 1st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
That IS a miracle! (My oldest is 9 so I’m hopeful that this too can happen in my house one day!)
January 1st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
so there is hope that someone in my house will clean up after themselves someday?
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
ah ha, there IS light at the end of the tunnel, and by this example, we can see a small glimmer.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
I’m right there with you. We were packing for our trip on the day after Christmas so everything was still “up” when we got back. I spent New Years Day doing laundry and all day yesterday taking down the Christmas stuff. But…things are mostly back to normal again. And I love this “calm after the storm”, don’t you?
January 4th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ahhh… that is a HUGE miracle. A Gift!!
I wanted ti wish you a very Happy New Year!! I hope it is filled with blessings and happiness!!
xo,
Audrey
January 4th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
How sweet! It was a Kodak moment. No really that is great it’s so wonderful to see our kids “get it” and realize that everything we are doing is not in vain.
Happy New Year
January 28th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Hi Kathy,
I’ve been behind my reading this past month and just read the posts I’d missed since before Christmas. As always I felt my spirits lift. “Miracles” reminded me of a time one of my boys who was showing adolesent problem behaviors came into the house knowing he was in trouble. I, unlike you, didn’t ask the right questions to get the giggly response. I had no questions and no words. I just hugged. Then I got a hug back and a smile. It was a golden moment and still is. I hope lots of moms read your account of “Miracles” and remember to hug and giggle through the harried and hurried moments of Mom life. The results are the best. Thanks