My friends, I have found a silver lining to the swine flu.
A temporary cease-fire in the on-going war known as The Scuffle of Sisters. I find the old nursery rhyme effectively sums up the state of the sibling status:
And when they are good, they are very, very good.
But when they are bad they are naughty!
I took the liberty of swapping the original word horrid for naughty. Their shrieks can get pretty high pitched, but I’m hoping it’s all in the realm of normalcy for sisters born seventeen months apart. Hardly horrid, but definitely not nice.
Today is Geography T-Shirt Day for the second graders at our school. So last night amidst homework, the flu, a toddler trying to potty train, supper, and all the other controlled chaos, the second grader & I made a mental inventory of all the t-shirts in the house. You know what we came up with? Nada. Six people under one roof and not ONE t-shirt with any resemblance of a geographic reference. Where in the world is the My Parents Went to Vegas and All I Got was this Stupid T-Shirt shirt when you really need it?
I was beginning to resent Geography T-Shirt Day. And I confess I went to bed with a less than cheerful heart, grumbling in fact about the apparent need to stock up on tacky, touristy t-shirts.
The night passed requiring only one steamy shower (at 4 am) to relieve Littlest Middlest of her barking cough. And despite her flu diagnosis, she is weathering it well so far.
Which brings me to the silver lining. Either my sickly six year old had an epiphany in the night and decided she loved her sister with all her might, or she is a little loopy from all the fluid on her brain. Regardless of the motivation (and I’m sure there is one) she offered her brand spanking new HOLLYWOOD t-shirt to her sister. Mia returned last week from a trip to Los Angeles and brought the precious t-shirt back as a gift. Thank you Mia.
Problem solved! I love Geography T-Shirt Day! Viva GTS DAY!
As my excitement for my new favorite day waned, I realized how grateful I am to worship a God who is all about the details. There is nothing too big or too small for our Heavenly Father. Sometimes in my expectation of miracles, I overlook the more subtle gifts from the One Great Provider.
This morning I was blessed in two very specific ways. First, I witnessed my daughters in a rare moment of sisterly love. Because these occurrences are few and far between right now the gift was precious to me. I was also reminded of His great provision. God is ALWAYS faithful. He provides exactly what we need when we need it. Sometimes His provisions come in big or mysterious ways. And sometimes, they come in seemingly insignificant packages like the simple gift of a Hollywood t-shirt.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10
It gets better with the sibling fighting. Might take 30 years to recognize but a sister really is a gift forever. Let me know if you need a New York shirt.