February 29th: Something I'm Listening To...

Life is funny stuff.

I woke up this morning with my day all planned out, including what I was going to do for my final February Photo-a-Day Challenge blog post.

Sometimes I crack me up!

Because instead of listening to the cacophony of school noise this morning, I spent a lot of time listening to news reports about the tornadoes that went through southern Missouri and Illinois early this morning.

This afternoon, when I had expected to be listening to the steady hum of the washing machine and the delighted laughter of children, happily cleaning their rooms, instead I found myself listening to myself barking orders and making phone calls.

And later, I spent a lot of time listening to kids who only really whine to this degree when their daddy has left the premises for an indefinite number of days...because in the course of just a couple hours today, we got SJB and our 13-year old son Jamie packed up to go help with relief efforts in Harrisburg, Illinois.

This is well-traveled territory for us.  Jim has gone on at least one mission trip every year since 2003.  And this mission to Harrisburg marks his third relief trip since last spring.  So in the sense that we all know what to expect when he's gone, I guess each trip gets a little easier.

However, in the sense that knowing in advance that the root canal is going to hurt doesn't make it hurt any less, it still stinks when he's gone.

And now that Jamie is old enough to go along and be Dad's right-hand man, that also leaves me without one of my most reliable and cheerful assistants...and one of my loudest sources of happy noise.

In fact, right about now, in that patch of time when Grace and Jamie are the only kids who have yet to toddle off to bed, I am used to hearing the sounds of the nightly father-son Call-of-Duty smack down.  Tonight, I'm listening to Grace yammer about her upcoming birthday plans while she watches 101 Dalmatians.

And here in a bit, once I kick her down the stairs to her bedroom, I'll be missing what I'm accustomed to listening to during the hour of the grown-up:  a gripping movie, a mindless sit-com, an end-of-the-day catch-up talk, deliberations over the perfect evening snack...

And tonight, instead, I'll be listening to this:

This is not my favorite song.

But if history is any indication--and I have no reason to believe this time should be any different than all the other times we've had to be apart--this sacrifice just makes the time sweeter when we are back together.  I always love hearing about all the ways SJB got to see God at work on the mission field!  And I love feeling like I contributed in my own ways even though I never left home.  Those are couch-talks worth listening to!  I'll make popcorn!

Blessings!  (And thanks for going on this wild ride with me!  Whew!)

Missy

If I had gone ahead and blogged February 29th as I had planned, 

this song would have definitely made an appearance somewhere.  

And I'm pleased to polish off the month with it...