She Spread Her Wings

I’ve been stressed lately. Maybe stressed is not an adequate enough word; I’ve felt overwhelmed, exhausted, sleep deprived and frazzled. It is not all from negative situations; most of it is from not knowing my own limits, and from saying yes when I should have said no.   And now here I am having problems catching my breath. 

This is exactly how I felt driving to work, my mind thinking a thousand thoughts. The school bus in front of me was stopping every block, it seemed, giving more time to let worries run around in my head. Then the bus slowly came to a halt in front of a trailer park where a long line of elementary kids stood in the chilly morning air. As they loaded the bus I noticed a mom in the back of the line with a blanket wrapped around her. She patiently nudged ever closer, ever closer, ever closer to the bus door. The last student loaded and that is when it happened. This mom spread her wings, opening the blanket to release two very small, toasty warm, chicks. As the two kids bound toward the bus door, the littlest one stopped, turned around and ran back to his mom for one last nuzzle and a quick kiss. Ah … a mother’s love.

Thank you, God, for this opportunity to slow down and think about things that are important in my life. I thought of my mom and wanted to run to her for a quick kiss, too. How fortunate I am to be so loved. I thought of my son, Drew, and how I long to wrap my arms around him this Thanksgiving. How grateful I am to be a mom and to know the joy of loving a child. I thought about You, God, and Your ever-loving arms that surround me like a blanket and keep me warm and protected. How blessed I am. How richly blessed.