Yesterday I thought it was a perfect day to hang out some clothes on the line. I love hanging clothes in the summer. Saves money on running the dryer, gets me outside doing something, and the clothes smell so nice. It didn’t exactly go as planned…

I stepped off the last step of the porch and didn’t exactly land on my feet. I ended up twisting my ankle completely sideways, dropped the laundry, and hit the dirt. Literally. I guess I had enough wherewithal to protect my tummy and not land on baby. I don’t actually remember how I fell; I just remember suddenly looking up at blue sky and feeling a horrible, burning pain in my ankle.

Heidi, my five year old, was with me and asked if I was okay. I told her through tears to please get her big brothers to help me up. Of course, all the kids came running to see Mom sprawled in the dirt. (Somehow all the clothes stayed in the basket!)

Samuel and Isaiah came running, heedless of their socks in the mud and lifted me out of it. They were so kind. They grabbed ice, a chair, and arnica right away and then stood by me telling me funny stories to make me laugh. Then those sweet young men carried me to the couch while the rest of the kids hung the laundry.

It didn’t end there. While I sat in pain on the couch, the boys made lunch and got everything cleaned up. Then they got the little one down for a nap and kept checking on me.

Just about everyday, those teenagers drive me to distraction, making me want to pull out my hair and scream. I often wonder what in the world they are thinking and why they are doing what they’re doing. I’m exhausted by the end of the day, mostly because of teens.

I’ve been praying lately that the Lord would help me like them again. Don’t get me wrong, I love them dearly but liking is another story. They usually just exasperate me! Well, apparently I’m not a very good learner and don’t take subtle clues, so the Lord gave me something drastic to remind me of how wonderful these young men really are. While they often leave me clueless with their words and actions, they really have good hearts. And I can forget that and in turn be harsh to them.

Adolescence is hard. Really hard. I don’t need to make it harder on them. I don’t need to be critical and judgmental and frustrated with them, no matter what they say or do. I don’t need to add to the burden of growing up because it’s hard enough on its own.

Even though I have a million things on my to-do list and sitting on the couch isn’t exactly my first choice in how to spend my time, I’m thankful it happened. I’m thankful of the reminder that my kids have learned to be compassionate and loving toward others. I’m thankful that these things are imbedded in their very beings, even if the majority of what they do baffles me! I’m also thankful for the reminder to be careful with my words. So, in the midst of being couch bound, I’m going to see the blessings and be thankful!

I just hope I don’t have to be here too long…