Shin Guards And Clover

Are you familiar with those times when it seems as if one more Thing Gone Wrong will throw you over the edge? The final Thing Gone Wrong for me yesterday was shin guards. They were missing from Little Squirt’s legs. We were already late for soccer practice, and he was supposed to have been ready. I figured it would take Two Boy Brains to get Little Squirt prepared for soccer practice while I finished cleaning up, which is why I asked Rock Star to partner with him. Their mission, I thought, was simple: “Get Little Squirt Soccer-Ready.” But even with Two Boy Brains burning, Little Squirt wasn’t ready for soccer practice. Collectively, the brothers had forgotten about shin guards.

It was the last straw on the back of a very fragile camel. I broke. I had had a week of being pushed to the limit emotionally and physically. But this camel still needed to get her son to soccer practice. So off we went, and then I sat on the grass, feeling completely deflated, and watched him practice drills.

My heart felt unbearably heavy. Emotions had surfaced for me earlier in the day, and I was feeling wounded and confused in some areas and relationships in my life. I was questioning things that I had thought were solid. And lots of losses loomed before me like the headlights of an inbound train. I was drained. Spent. Empty.

And then a little girl approached me. She was the sister of a soccer player, and she was only about three years old. She asked me if she could sit on my lap. I said Yes. She snuggled down, and we talked about Disney Princesses. And then she picked a handful of flowers and gave them to me.

Later that evening, as I placed the bouquet of clover into a cup of water, I recognized that Love had shown up in the form of a little girl and warmed my heart, just when my heart needed warming. Thanks, God.