A Visit Well Timed

Today was a frightful day.  Today was a frightful day that followed an awful day.  Today was a frightful day that followed an awful day that got in line behind several other terrible, rotten, horrible, no-good days.  I believe Murphy’s dark cloud has parked itself squarely over our heads.  My frustration, aggravation and exhaustion have reached new heights.  And today was the best day I’ve had in a long time.

Chaos seemed to linger in our midst today, quite uninvited, I might add.  (Rude little sot, this chaos)  Often we operate in a state of ‘controlled’ discord.  Such is life with 70 children under the age of 5, all with their own beautiful, quirky, individual personalities – and opinions on how the day should flow.  But, today chaos invited bedlam to come and set up camp at my feet, hanging an OPEN FOR DISORDER sign on my nose.  There I sat, and stood, and ran from place to place trying to find just a little bit of order within the mess, hoping chaos would eventually get bored with us and move on to someone else.  Alas, he stayed, most firmly in our hub.

I tried desperately several times to leave the established campsite, in order to address some personal business, but chaos and bedlam had set up surprise party games for everyone!  “You think your bladder is full?” laughed bedlam.  “Time to play answer the phone, make the copy, check the rash, finish the schedule relay races!” chaos chimes in.  I’ve never been a fan of party games.

While trying (for the third time) to give an important message to a teacher, I look out the window to see a man heading purposefully toward our door dragging a cart of something behind him.  “Not a salesman!  Not today!” I think.  I gather my belt of chaos and bedlam and head toward the door, ready to dismiss this man with my “we do not have room in our budget this year” speech.

 It wasn’t a salesman.  This was a man whose daughter attended our preschool almost 10 years ago, brining us a large pile of classroom books – free.  He has been a distributor for years and was clearing out old stock from storage.  He couldn’t bear the thought of throwing out good education materials, and he thought of us.  All these years later, he brought a gift to his daughter’s preschool. I nearly cried in this man’s presence.  I hadn’t even seen the books he was bringing us.  I didn’t even care if they were usable or appropriate for our kids.  I just wanted to hug him.

Nothing else bedlam and chaos could do today mattered.  They lost all power over me the moment that man came into our Center.  God sends us who we need, when we need them.  It’s not for us to decide and ask.  It’s only for us to accept and welcome….and to say thank you!