One of Those Days

Recently I had "one of those days."  You know -- the ones that this country song I love so accurately describes:

Kids screaming, phone ringing
Dog barking at the mailman bringing
That stack of bills - overdue
Good morning baby, how are you?
Got a half hour, quick shower
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour
My funny face makes you laugh
Twist the top on and I put it back
There goes the washing machine
Baby, don't kick it.
I promise I'll fix it
Along with about a million other things

Preparing to race out the door in the morning for my class (fairly typical morning routine), I opened the refrigerator door to find creamer for my coffee --- only to discover that the last my of favorite creamer had been dumped somewhere in the deep recesses of the fridge and was now empty. Groaning, I grabbed my distant-second preferred creamer, poured it into my coffee and rushed out the door, late for class.

Hurrying home after class for Jacie's much-anticipated library time, I quickly dressed her and we raced out the door once again.  After library time, my complaining stomach reminded me that I had yet to eat that day.  Coffee alone was not cutting it any longer.  Calling Conroy, we agreed on a place to meet for lunch for some much-needed family time since he'd been away for the last three days at a conference.

During lunch, Jacie began complaining of a stomachache (perhaps some of you are beginning to see where this is going... ).  Alternately lying down on the booth bench and popping up to interject herself in the conversation, she wasn't a convincing picture of sickness; however, since I had underestimated her ability to diagnose herself before, I still watching her warily.

As we were wrapping up our meal, Jacie announced she needed to use the restroom.  I hurried her off to the bathroom and waited for her outside the stall.  After some time, I prodded her along, reminding her that we needed to leave soon.  As she reluctantly began to ease her way off the toilet, she looked pale and murmured, "Mama, I feel sick."  Urgently, I tried to convince her to put her head over the toilet. But a cry of "I can't" was immediately followed by spewing vomit -- in the opposite direction of the toilet.  The poor girl was quite sick, and I was at a loss regarding how to get to her and what to do next.  Finally, the vomiting stopped, and I managed to clean her up.  We carried her to the car and then drove home, where I changed her and put her to bed.

Later, after I'd cleaned myself up and was washing creamer off the kale, the lyrics from the song above floated through my mind.

Then I remembered the chorus:

Well, it's ok. It's so nice
It's just another day in paradise
There's no place I'd rather be


Two hearts; one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise

And I chuckled to myself, despite everything, and remembered that I'm "living the dream," as I like to think of it.  Despite everything -- sickness, messes, busy-ness, and even the overshadowing cloud of infertility -- , my life is paradise.  God has been good to me and I have so much for which to be thankful.

And this crazy, sometimes unpredictable, ride-of-a-lifetime that is my life is my April Accolade.

** Song and Lyrics by Phil Vassar and Craig Michael Wiseman