mending

Today I had a little bit of time in the afternoon to do something productive, and so I brought out the big bag of Things To Be Mended, which always seems to maintain the same volume no matter how much I mend, and which has been mocking me from the bottom of my closet for a few weeks now.  Today I actually pulled it out, got the sewing kit out, and started work--even though I had a lingering headache and really didn't feel like doing it.  Going through all the closets is one of the things I've been working on since our Christmas break--not just "out with the old, in with the new," although I have been doing that too, but a more systematic re-assessment of what is working in how we use the closet space, what needs to change, what is taking up valuable real-estate that is not worth it any more and needs to be moved elsewhere, etc. So attacking this seemingly huge bag overflowing with items to be mended just seemed the next step today.

But.  My Sunny girl has had a rough transition back into real life after the holidays, and esp. into school this week.  She was not really having trouble with the work given her--she did a good job making good choices and keeping a positive attitude about all that this week--it was more her heart had broken bond with mine, and so she has slipped back into old patterns of sassiness, interrupting, arguing, and generally disrespecting me.  Yesterday I told her it had to change, and then today there was a moment when I gently reminded her of something and she was rude back, so I gently but firmly called her out for it, and she did not handle it well, so she ended up in a time-out in the bedroom. When I went to see if she was cooled off and was ready to apologize, she didn't handle that well either, and basically kept trying to make it my fault why she did what she should not have.

But.  God has been doing such a good work in me the past couple of months, and so I knew this was happening because of the broken bond, so I stayed patient, and I stayed in the bedroom with her, listening, talking, and keeping on pointing her to truth, and finally broke through her self-focus and we ended up having a really, really good time of re-bonding.  Seriously good for both our hearts.

It also took a good 40 minutes.  When I left the room and saw it was time to make dinner and I would have to abandon the mending, I mentally grumbled, "Great. There goes the mending."

Then a little voice in my head whispered, "But you did the mending that was the most important today."

One more reminder that I want to always be willing to let go of my own do-to list, and be ready and willing to do whatever it is God has placed before me in any given moment.   It will always, always be the better thing.