Forgiveness

The other day I was hurrying to pick Madison up at soccer practice. I grabbed the keys out of my purse, slid my feet into my soccer slides and headed to the door.

Uh-Oh!

I looked down. My right foot had slid out. What? I bent over and picked up the shoe. The seam on the right had ripped. I glanced at my watch.

Yikes! 6:55!

I flicked off the good slide and zipped to the jeep in my socks.

On the whole way to the soccer field I kept thinkin' about my ripped slide. I loved my slides. I wore them all the time...to take Hercules out for a potty break, to pick up children from dance, choir, soccer and friends, to take the trash to the dumpster, to run to the church and other quick runs.

How did they rip?

When I got back home with Madison, I was still thinking about it. While pulling my dirty socks off, I yelled. "Who ripped my slides?"

Seconds later Michaela appeared. "Mom..."

Michaela...of course! I thought, as she continued.

"I just slid into them when I was taking Hercules out and they ripped."

"Did you think about telling me?" I asked accusingly, my voice rising by the minute.

"M.o.o.o.m," she said with a look of 'get real.'  "Didn't you bring them with you when we moved from Ohio...ah, about s.i.x.x.x.x years ago?"

I gave her the raised eyebrow of Eunice, my mother, and said, "I wear those all the time! I love my slides!"

I looked back at her spicy gaze that had a tinge of sorrow mixed in, just a tinge, mind you.

Our eyes locked, I was beginning to hear the music right before the gun drawls in the old west shows.  You know, the kind that goes 'Woo -e  woo-e woo, woo e- ew.'

Then out of no where popped"...but I love you more."

Wow!  Where had that come from?  I wanted blood!  Yet somewhere...grace had sprung forth like the first tulip of spring, vibrant, fresh and unpredictable.

It felt good.

I had not over-reacted. Madison would be proud of me. Yes, the mother that gives her mini-squeals when she puts the wrong amount of mayo in the recipe or when she loses track of time or when she's running late for school.

No over-reacting from this mama...not this time, at least.

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by Michaela's voice.

I glanced up at her confident face with a bit of smirk..."Forgiveness, ya gotta love it!"