Hi Ellie… or should I say Megan or Olivia or
Elizabeth??? This month (and
we are only 13 days into it) you have changed your name at least 3 times! And to make life in “Ellie’s” world a
tad bit more challenging, you have added a few additional characters that no
one can see but are very much present in your daily interactions!
Take for instance our jaunt to the grocery store: You were Big Megan… apparently your
sister Little Megan was along, as well as your good friend Big Ellie. You and I had to help these invisible
children out of the car and walk them across the parking lot with me hunched
over like a decrepit old woman because those invisible little ones were only
about a foot tall. Once we
were inside, together you and I had to hoist them into the basket of the
grocery cart because you insisted that its child-seat, which sits center stage,
was for you alone to ride in (and like a queen I might add!). Anyway, even though your multiple
character choices would make for a great blog this week, I’d rather focus on
the character you’ve become. And
besides I am sure that there will be plenty of opportunities throughout your
childhood to revisit my first thought! But this week, my blog focus is on the ‘little
character’ you were in Church!
Life Lesson Learned #
15: When attending Mass
with a three year old you must listen extra hard to hear God’s Word as
distractions are inevitable for both young and old!
Yes Ellie… that three year old would be you! For the most part you are very respectful
and pretty quiet in church (except for the occasional loud gruff whisper that
you yell to your mom when you are informing her that you are being quiet!). But where you still need a little work
is in the “sitting without moving” area.
Let me rephrase that. After
this past Saturday evening… I’m thinking you are going to be our perpetual work
in progress! Let me explain why. On our drive to Mass, you asked your Mommy
if you could bring a Lunchable with you because that is what one of your little
best friends at school ate.
Because you are such a picky eater and you specifically asked for this
snack your Mommy thought, “why not?”
So we made a pit stop at the Sheetz Convenience Store to purchase this
interesting choice of treat for you.
Upon arriving at church, we chose to sit in a pew near the front to give
you a good view of the choir. (That was Mistake #1!) Once we were seated, settled in, and
the service started, you asked if you could take off your shoes and I said
yes. (That would be Mistake #2.)
It was at that moment you realized that you had a hangnail on your
toe. So you sat down on the
kneeler and proceeded to try and pull it off. Your Mommy was not thrilled with this apparent engrossment
of yours so she tapped you on the head and signaled for you to stop doing what
you were doing and sit still. You,
being the kind of child that can’t let something go until it is completed,
shrugged your shoulders and quickly stuck your big toe in your mouth and bit
the hangnail off! I was not only shocked
but also amazed at how easily you accomplished this El! You are one very bendy little girl (and
just so you know I did try imitating that feat at home on the same evening just
to see if I could bend my legs that far.
Nope… I almost broke myself in two! My body is apparently not made of Gumby extremities like
yours)! Anyway, back to my
story. After stifling a shocked
giggle and recomposing myself, you went from a sitting position on the kneeler
to a laying position with your arms and legs wrapped around it like a hotdog
bun hugging its content, the hotdog!
We thought you were being a tootsie roll but you said the kneeler was a
string and you were trying to balance on it! Speaking of strings… we brought along Kyle’s bag as it held
your doll only to find out that it would be your next distraction. (And
also Mistake #3.) Who would
have thought that the bag itself could be a deterrent! Actually it was the strings from Kyle’s
bag that dangled over the edge of the pew that caused the problem of attracting
your attention. While laying on
the kneeler you tried to slide your feet into the loop of each string which
created a hammock effect allowing you to swing them back and forth as well as
to and fro! Thankfully you tired
of that within seconds and returned to a standing position to watch the
interactions of Mass. (Now came Mistake #4.) You asked your Mommy if you could eat
your Lunchable. So she took it out
of her pocketbook, opened its lid and placed the package directly on the
pew. You dear Ellie took out a
cracker, smiled, and set it down on the bench. You then took out a slice of cheese, placed it on the
cracker and whispered that you were going to make a sandwich. Next you took out another cracker and
placed it on the cheese. Quite
pleased with yourself you picked it up and were just about ready to eat it when
you realized that you forgot to add the slice of bologna. With an “Ooops” expression on your
face, you set down your yummy creation and quickly grabbed a piece of
meat. Its slippery texture must
have intrigued you because you brought that tiny circular slice of bologna
close to your eyes for further inspection. But upon doing so, you let out an “Ewwwwww, this meat smells
yucky!” Ellie, if the whole
congregation didn’t hear you, the dozen or so pews surrounding us certainly
did! Your Mommy quietly removed
the mystery meat and gave you a wipey-dipe to wash your hands. (And
that would become Mistake #5!)
Being the responsible child you are, you not only washed your hands but
the pew too! And when your mommy
took the wipey-dipes away from you, in the blink of an eye you hiked up your
bright orange sundress to tummy level and gave its beautiful fabric another
purpose. Yep… you polished the
bench as though you were instructed not to stop until you could see it
shine! Oh my Ellie-bean, you were
one busy little girl during church service. At least we had no issues with the passing of the collection
basket. You are the one in charge
of putting both your Mommy’s and my envelope into it. And you are always quite proud of yourself for performing
this weekly task without error.
You are also at your very best when it comes time to go to Communion. As long as Monsignor pats your head or
your arm Ellie, you are pleased and satisfied that you too have received Jesus
in your heart. That is my favorite
part of Mass because you usually break into a huge grin that spreads from ear
to ear. It is as though you have
been blessed with the best gift of all!
Which brings me back to my Life Lesson Learned El. Even through the many distractions you
created and explored during Mass, I do remember an important part of Monsignor’s
sermon that evening. It was about
forgiveness: asking for forgiveness and granting forgiveness. It was that one word, forgiveness, which seemed to fit
perfectly into my blog topic this week.
It is a humbling word and one that our vocabulary should never be
without. So even though it
was late in the day and well past dusk, I still made sure to ask for
forgiveness for not paying attention to the whole of Mass. And I am pretty confident that God too
had to think about forgiveness.
Only his had to come in the form of granting it! And that would be to the three of us
because distractions are quite common in our daily living. You may be our little work in
progress Ellie, but life as a whole is always a work in progress, and that
pertains to everyone! But it is up
to each of us to listen with our hearts and mind and hear what needs to be
heard! God listens.
Till next time Beaner… I always look forward to what you
have in store for us for you are my favorite distraction of all!
Love Mimi
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