Bitter/Sweet

I know that you are probably sick of hearing about Benjamin's birthday weekend, but please allow me one more?!?

I promise to try to make it worth your time.

The fad in our family right now is Pokemon. We have acquired items such as Pokemon cards, balls, posters, puzzles, games, and key chains over the last few months. Ashton and his friends started the fad this spring and what one boy has the others want also. And did you know you can't have too many of the darn things? You can fill a small shoe box to overflowing and you still need more! So undoubtedly, a tin pack of Pokemon cards was at the top of Ben's wish list this year.

I, being the good (or extremely stupid, you can decide) mother that I am, determined to fill the wish of my little boy. My only problem was that since I am the mother and have to take him everywhere I go, could not find a time to actually buy the tin of cards without him around. I knew where I was going to buy them, because they were the cheapest, but still acquiring the coveted gift still eluded me. So I did what every good mom does....call the Dad and have him get them on his way home from work.

Ben was elated with his cards. And somewhere along with our partying it was asked that "Wasn't Ben glad Dad had bought those cards for him?"

And that is when it happened, Daddy became Ben's very best friend because he had PURCHASED him the Pokemon cards. He wanted to sleep by him, eat by him, do things for him, play games with him, you name it, Ben wanted to do it with Daddy.

By the next day I was still hearing about how wonderful it was that Daddy got him the cards, and I admit, I was getting a little bitter.

Richard had gone on a hike with Ashton and the Webelos, I was busy baking his birthday cake and getting everything & everybody ready to go to his party. Ben asked me again, for what seemed like the 12th time, when daddy was going to get home so they could have a Pokemon battle. I told him I didn't know, but I would have one with him.

Nope.
He didn't want to play with me.
I wasn't Daddy.
I hadn't bought him the Pokemon cards.

I pushed down my urge to tell him he was an ungrateful little turd and went back to getting things ready to go. All the while, I was fuming!

I would have bought the cards, but because I was taking care of him I couldn't! But I had found out where to get them and found someone who could complete the task I couldn't! And now he was getting all the credit!

And that is when it started to happen. Everything started to go in what seemed like slow motion and the noises around me faded. I could feel thoughts starting to formulate in my mind and I paused briefly, so as not to miss it.

I had felt this feeling before.

The thoughts formulated into questions.

How does our Heavenly Father feel when he sees that we have a need arise that we can't conquer ourselves?

He knows how & where to help, so he sends us someone who can do what we can't.

And all too often, do we give them all the credit? Forgetting the source the help started from.

The bitterness fled.

It was replaced with a sweetness that only the spirit can give.

And I was grateful, despite my bitter & petty attitude and distracted mind that my Heavenly Father saw fit to let that sweet spirit give me a gift for Benjamin's birthday- a gentle lesson reminding me where true blessings really come from....and it's not Wal-Greens.