In a fit of madness every winter we usually empty our house on craigslist. We sell things that we might potentially use again only because we’re NOT using them now and it hurts too much to have crap sitting around all the time. We have enough “stuff” I don’t want to be reminded of the all the space we fill and then complain about not having what I want.
So we purge. A lot. All the time.
Oliver was a baby last summer and not strong enough to sit in the bike carrier we had, so … we sold it. Ah! But we had a better reason. We were trying to pay off his birth debt (a whopping $15,000 from start to finish). So, you know. Priorities. We were also hoping that once the debt was paid off (which it is now!!! WOO HOO!) we could purchase a new and improved bike carrier that would convert into a stroller. In fact, we had our eyes on the perfect one. When we finally had enough saved to buy it locally we went to the store and, um … they sold out of them. As in, they were no longer carrying them and they went out of stock in a big way on a huge reduction sale.
I cried a little bit.
Thus began our craigslist search for another bike carrier. Still hoping for the conversion to a stroller option, but just looking for a used one that would get us through the next couple of summers. They were all priced over $75 and that hurt a little bit because we could have boughten a brand spankin new one for $50 at Target. Crappier, yes. Price point on track? Check.
I’m getting to the point, I promise.
Any way, we found another one – not on craiglist – but at the end of someones driveway and it ended up being a gift to us from Grandparents. We were so excited!! So now it’s staring me in the face. We have a bike carrier – now what?
Oh, right. I should use it.
huh.
I packed up the kids and a bag of snacks and diapers, the emergency away from home essentials and then stuck the bag with the children in the carrier. Which I hooked up to my bike all by myself, and whose tires I pumped all by myself.
Here we go.
The park we were heading to is 2 miles from our house and about 1/8 of a mile away from our house I got off the bike and looked at the kids – who were already enjoying the ride. I said to them, “Guys, I don’t think I can make it. We’re gonna have to turn around and take the car.”
To which my daughter says “Mom, you can do it. You can do it! You got it, mom, I’ll help you. You can do it.” She chanted that up every hill and whenever she noticed me slowing down – she piped up to encourage me and believe in me and I would be lying to your face if I said I didn’t cry a little bit on that bike.
I made it to that park, all the way there, without stopping. My daughter was watching me. She was learning that when it’s hard – you can still do it. She was learning that encouragement is sometimes all it takes to get to the finish line and she was loving me in a way that I almost always refuse to love myself. She was believing that I could accomplish the impossible task in front of me. The tiresome, loathsome, painful task. She was right behind me, cheering me on.
I can’t help but think that this is how God loves me, too. Whispering in my ears and showing me at every turn that I can do it. I absolutely love that today He used my daughter to get that message across. My very beautiful girl, whom I could not be more proud of.