sOMETIMES yOU jUST hAVE TO rOLL

My grandchildren have a way of bringing floods of memories back to me!  As parents we became pretty good at "just rolling with it" when things happened.  I specifically remember Doc coming home from work one day and sitting in his chair at the table to read the paper or something.  A couple of kid's ran through the kitchen and he greeted them.  Then, without missing a beat, he looked at me and said "That one isn't ours, is it?"  Nope, it wasn't.  Thank God he recognized that.  It sure beats the idea that one of your own doesn't belong to you.

Just yesterday, I was reminded of our history with bunnies.  It started when I made Bugs Bunny Halloween costumes for Mommy and Calvin when they were four and two.  I conned them into napping so I could sew them.  These were awesome if I do say so myself.  They had heads that looked exactly like Bugs and feet to cover their shoes and carrots.  While I benefitted from the extra naps and peacefulness while pregnant with Number 3, I also worked my backside off.  As Halloween rolled around, Mommy was excited with the completed project.  Calvin, not so much.  We went to put the head on him and he lost it!!  We have quite a few pictures of him screaming in his bunny suit.  What do you do?  Roll with it!  I quickly made a new bunny head without a face! 

The bunny suit resurfaced two years later when Mini Me had the opportunity to wear it.  She looked absolutely adorable!  Calvin decided that she could simply not wear it without learning how to hop proper like a bunny.  We have video of him repeating the lesson at least a hundred times!!!  Thank God she finally hopped after also repeatedly and calmly telling him no.

It resurfaced again in two more years.  Calvin came home from school one day and informed me that they were doing a play in his class and he needed to take the bunny suit to school.  I was thrilled!  All that work was not done in vain!  So, I packed up Bugs Bunny complete with two head version, feet and carrot and sent it to school with Calvin.  There were five little ones by this time, so I honestly forgot that he had taken it to school until. . . . I got a call from his teacher telling me she was sending the suit home.  Apparently, my son was wearing it daily once he got to school and no one knew why.  Bless her heart the teacher listened as I explained my side of the story and laughed as she told me that there was no play.  I guess the straw that broke the camel's back was when he tossed the carrot into the air and it landed on top of the classroom lights.  Calvin had become a nuisance as a bunny!  When he came home from school, we had a "discussion", and his answer to why all of it took place was so simple. . . .  "because I wanted to."  Who can argue with that?  And so you just learn to roll with it.

I thought of him yesterday when "Max" walked through the kitchen in a full bunny suit.  I looked up at her and must have had a curious look on my face, because as she went by she said, "What?  It's from the Christmas Story.  Mommy's friend Julie gave it to me."  And she left the room.  What do you say to that?  Absolutely nothing.  I shrugged my shoulders and finished making lunch like it was an everyday occurrence.  I guess for me it is.  But anyway, you just smile and roll with it.

I love the imagination and innocence of children.  We can learn a lot from them.  We watch them have temper tantrums and are appalled at their behavior, yet as adults we have adult temper tantrums when something goes haywire!.  Kids can teach us that life is full of surprises, innocence and love and that as adults we should just learn to roll a little better with life.  We should be better at taking things in stride and relying on our faith to get us through!  Roll on and have a faithful and more peaceful week.