School didn't begin as I planned...

The first day of 2nd grade and it began with a sigh and moan.  She wanted to watch tv, and "why do we have to start school today?"  And this bad attitude was not the way I had envisioned a new school year beginning. 

Then Ian snuck upstairs and discovered all the new school things I had set out on the shelves for him, and discovered too that I had brought out his favorite old Little Tykes train and cars playset, and he was eager to set it up.  Rob called him to come back down and that immediately started tears and screams of despair.  I rolled my eyes in my head and the Holy Spirit came upon me with a whisper, "Gentle".

Ian comes into the kitchen sobbing and I get down on his level and take his hands, look into his eyes and gently explain that those toys upstairs are indeed for him to play with....as soon as he gets out of his pajamas and gets dressed.  His tears cease and he hugs me and runs to his room to change with an, "oh yes!!!" 

Success!

We rescued the moment.

The first step towards turning this morning around, thanks to the Holy Spirit.

All it took was that whisper.

And a softening of my heart.

God acts.

I respond.

I'm learning from reading The Examen Prayer, this: 

"Like Ignatius, we may have expectations of the way God will act in our lives, which may occasion interior struggles when events prove, in fact, different from our expectations."  The Examen Prayer, p. 80

God whispered that "gentle" into my heart, and had I not been open to recognizing His voice, I might have missed that movement of my soul that wanted to respond to Him.  But I heard it, recognized it, and responded this time, and it allowed us all to proceed in love.

So we rescued the moment and went on to have a great first morning back to school.  Oh, it was challenging still....Isabel needed direction with her new lessons, and Ian wanted Mommy to play with him, then wanted to do work like Isabel, and of course Caroline needed to be nursed and held and rocked to sleep....but we did it!