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Stolen Moments

by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

By all accounts, the day had been less than ideal. Having fallen asleep way too early the night before, 3 ½ year old David had decided our day needed to begin at 2:30 am! With many protestations of "I'm not tired!" all efforts at getting him to go back to sleep had failed. After spending two hours reading library books together, I managed to catch forty winks while he watched a "Bob the Builder" movie. Soon, his little brother Isaac woke up and the day began in earnest.

We went out for the morning, and then enjoyed a mid-day nap which all three of us desperately needed. Unfortunately, the children woke up in bad moods, feeling the need to cry and wail at every turn. The afternoon mail brought too many bills along with a notice from the bank that the overdraft protection on our checking account had kicked in, apparently due to a mathematical error on my part. I know, that is what we have the overdraft protection for, but still, I was not amused.

By the time my husband came home from work, I was pretty cranky myself. After our lackluster supper of boxed macaroni and cheese, the last thing that I wanted to do was take the kids to the park. It was a nice evening, however, and they had wanted to go all day, so we all piled into the minivan and headed down the street.

At the park, they had their usual turns on the swing, climbed up the playscape, and went down the slides. Then they noticed some other children running with geese out in a large field and they wanted to join them. There they were, running in complete joy as the last golden rays of the late summer sun set in the western sky. The sounds of their laughter and the honking geese created a beautiful symphony, and for those few minutes, all was right with the world.

All too soon, we had to leave. It was time to go home for baths and bedtime. The bills and the overdraft notice would still be waiting, and I was still exceedingly tired, but as Isaac rested in my arms and softly whispered, "Bye, Bye, Goose," I was so thankful for the wonderful moments we had just shared.

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of The Spiritual Woman Newsletter