Let the little children

I was at Costco the other day, doing my crazy mother-of-three thing of pushing a shopping trolley loaded with heavy groceries and two small children whilst carrying a third even smaller child in my left arm, when I got to the car and realised that I had lost my car key. Willing myself not to either a) throw myself on the floor in a tantrum; or b) leave the children and trolley in the car park and run into Costco to beg someone to find my keys, I lugged said children and trolley back into the warehouse to inquire if anyone had turned in my key. The very helpful lady at the information desk said that no such key had been turned in and perhaps I should take my one arm and my children and my heavy trolley and retrace my steps through the store. I followed that very helpful advice, looking first in the cafe, and second in the bathroom, and finally retracing my steps through the entire store. When no key surfaced I suggested to Cerys that perhaps she could ask God to find my key, since he didn't seem to be listening to me. She quickly said aloud, "God, please would you find Mommy's key?" and then to me, "Mom, did you hear him say yes?" Close to tears, I said, "No, honey, I didn't hear him. Did you?" She replied, "No, we better ask him again. God, would you please find Mommy's key?" Awestruck by her innocence, and flabbergasted by her determination, I walked back over to the information desk who had a different helpful lady behind it, and said, "Has anyone turned in my car key?" After describing it in detail, she said, "Yes, I've seen it. Let me go get it. It was in the bathroom." Praise the Lord.

As an aside, if there are any Milton Keynes Costco employees happening upon this post, may I suggest that when a tired mother loses her key, it would be helpful to search the store for her, or at least offer to watch her trolley while she searches, or better-yet, just give her the key since her search will be fruitless as the key is actually locked up in your office. Thank you.

Facebook?

So, I finally joined the Facebook Revolution and am totally overwhelmed. I just wanted to see pictures of this fabulous 80's party I went to on Saturday night, but I can't see them because Wendy hasn't confirmed me as her friend yet, and I've got all these other friends who want to be my friend, but when do I have time to be writing on people's walls and completing my personal profile and looking at other people's walls? And is that all it is, just looking at walls, or is there much more that I'm missing? One more thing to stress over not doing well. Great.

A Child's Heart

Cerys has been asking a lot of questions about God lately. She wonders how he can be everywhere if we can't see or hear him. When we were in California she wasn't allowed out in my aunt Lynn's garden without supervision because of the swimming pool, and one afternoon she asked if I'd go out there with her. I was feeding Macy and said that she would have to wait until I was done. She looked at me and cunningly asked if God was everywhere. Unaware of the trap being laid, and rather proud of her curiosity, I replied that yes, God is everywhere.

"Is he in the back garden?"

Still clueless, I replied, "Yes."

"Well then God can watch me, can't he?"

Taken aback at her utter genius, I tried to back-paddle and not crush a child's very real faith. In the end I just said that God had put me in charge and that though he was in the back garden he wanted me to be out there too.

This week one of her friend's moms was telling me that 4-year-old Jasper had "invited Jesus into his heart" this week. Having never broached that subject with Cerys before, I wondered how she would reply to such an idea. More out of curiosity than an actual desire for Cerys to "become a Christian" I ever-so-carefully began to explain that Jasper had asked Jesus to live in his heart and that meant that Jesus and God would always be with him and help him to make good choices and love other people.

"What do you think of that Cerys? Would you like Jesus to live in your heart?"

With a look of confusion and perhaps even annoyance she clutched her chest and said, "No, that would be very uncomfortable."

Good point, well made.

Happy Anniversary

Four years ago today I landed in England to stay.