(Originally written in April) Becoming a parent has been an
interesting experience, to say the least. The perspective that I have quickly
acquired in the short 15 months still surprises me. As I watch my
baby-turned-toddler explore and test the world, I can’t help but think about
the thoughts my parents had about me as I have grown up. The times that I
tested their patience, did they privately keep their cool, or were they to the
point where all they wanted to do was get away for a break? When I screamed and
fought their hugs because I was overly tired, did they understand or feel a
little rejected? When I thought I was clever and lied, did they see through the
schemes yet pretend they didn’t?
I have a very clear memory from
preschool when I lied and got away with it. At my preschool, we each had
personal mats to use as our floor work space. These were also used for nap time
or if a student was feeling ill. One particular day, I didn’t feel like
working, so I lied to my teacher and told her I felt sick. She responded by
letting me lie down and rest. I remember feeling so smart and proud of myself
that I had found a loophole. As a four year old, I innately knew how to cheat
and lie.
I have other memories of lying,
yet feeling guilt, embarrassment and shame as a result. Although those are always
uncomfortable emotions, I thank God I feel them. How sad of a world it would be
if no one ever felt conviction for doing wrong?
Flash forward to now. Just a few
days ago, I had a very stressful weekend while traveling alone with P. As part
of living overseas, our visa requires us to leave the country every 60 days.
Usually these trips are enjoyable and a chance to catch up with friends we have
in neighboring countries. However, now traveling with a young child, the
enjoyment has tended to diminish. Where before we could easily sleep on the
airport floor if needed, we now must have a hotel booed beforehand. For P, nap times require dark and quiet, which isn’t easy to plan when away from home.
And as any parent knows, no nap time equals a cranky kid!
All that being said, we had
survived the weekend and just had one last night at the airport lounge hotel
before our 6:55 am flight the next day. However, it was 10 pm at night and P
was in no way ready for bed. So to burn some energy, I took her back out into the
airport mall area so she could run around. What I thought would be 30 minutes
max, turned into the next 36 hours of tears, frustration and confusion. You
see, in those 30 minutes, P fell on the floor. And as I was picking her back up
and soothing the tears, my phone fell out of my pocket. I realized what had
happened about 2 minutes too late. By then, the phone had been picked up.
The feeling when your phone is
gone……. Such a horrible feeling. All your pictures, your calendar, your
contacts. The thought of having to start everything over, not to mention the
cost of purchasing a new phone.
That night, P slept fine. I, on
the other hand, barely slept a wink. And then to add to the situation, we
missed our flight. We were a 5 minute walk to the check-in counter and yet, I
had arrived 10 minutes late and as a result, was not allowed to fly! Getting no
sympathy from the employees behind the counter didn’t make me feel any better.
Although, to give them a break, I’m sure they have to deal with more than enough
late and emotional customers.
At a loss, with no phone, I
returned to the airport lounge with baby in hand and asked to use the computer
to contact my husband. Tears ensued. People passing by gave me looks of
sympathy and two different families helped watch P as well as loaned me a phone
to make an international call.
Once we had a new game plan, I
could think a little clearer. I got us changed to the next flight (which was
the next day) and Daniel confirmed a booking for a hotel that night, via email.
With 20 hours to kill, I decided to take one last shot in the dark and talk
with the airport police concerning my phone. Typically in this part of the
world, police aren’t always trusted. The cops spent most of the day going through the CCTV and identified a young man picked up the phone a few minutes after I dropped it. Next they determined he was an airport employee and called his friend who linked them to his family. He then came to the airport that evening and was told to share his story with me in the room. I got my phone back and even in the local language shared God made him better than taking a phone. It was such a shock that my phone was back in my hands. This phone like a cat has proven to have 9 lives.
Since that trip Daniel agreed he would join all visa runs and it has made for a fun way to force a 2-3 day holiday together. God works in many ways and if we allow he always proves the stressful and difficult times are to stretch and make our love for him stronger.
Godspeed,
The Gables