Thanks so much for stopping by for our weekly installment of Monday Moments with Mimi! This week's post made me laugh...and reflect. What a great reminder to listen to our little ones...really listen! Have a great week! Shannon :-)
Red Buckets in Magazines
I crossed the road to retrieve my mail the other day and only had 1 bill and 3 magazines. This was good day and a good ratio of magazines to bills!!! :-)
My 5 year old granddaughter—who was in the back seat—watched as I tossed the sales papers to the front floorboard. As I turned out of my driveway she said, “Mimi, why did you not let me see the magazines that you got?”
I quickly explained that I didn’t know she wanted them and rationalized that there probably wasn’t anything in there that she would like anyway. She said, “How do you know? You did not let me see it.”
That was fair. So I told her that when we got to the red light at the top of the road, I would lean over and hand it to her. I did.
(In my defense, let me just explain…it was a Summit Tools and Shop Equipment Racing Catalog. For those of you that are not married to someone that has car oil running through their veins, the catalog was a car accessory specialty book!!!)
In any event, I reached over the seat and handed Sadie the catalog. I watched—a little smugly I must admit—in my rearview mirror for her to express her displeasure and for me to feel my “rightness.”
To my surprise, Sadie turned each page methodically, made astute observations, and invited me into her world of pictures and pages of interesting items. She turned to the large and small wrenches and was enthralled with showing me the different sizes and colors of the sets. Only another girlfriend would appreciate that moment—and I did.
What was most exciting to her, though, was actually on the next page—a large red 8 quart wet-or-dry bucket with a lid! Sadie exclaimed, “And look what I found, Mimi! We can get this and use it at the beach next year. It’s a big, big bucket!!!! Silly Mimi, you thought I would not see anything in here for us to like.”
And in that moment, I was indeed a silly Mimi!!!
I had easily dismissed her, but Sadie had easily found common ground that we could converse about. And yes, it was just a red bucket, but she was so immediately pleased that I immediately lost my sense of self-rightness. And I was even smiling, but with joy, not with haughtiness.
Funny how easily smugness leaves when a smile from the heart appears?!
Why do we do that? I asked myself. Why do we think we decide what others are going to enjoy and find delight in…with us? We don’t always “own the moment” with others.
Sometimes we really don’t want to look for commonality and be invited into the world of those around us. Metaphorically, we want them to come into our world and look at the magazine of our choosing.
Children, and even those less fortunate than us, may not be able to subscribe to our “magazines” of life. And often we carelessly, without thinking, just toss our “magazines” out of their reach. But look what we might miss…something for us to like, enjoy, or treasure!!!!
You never know…that red bucket with the lid may be perfect to keep our sand crabs in next year on vacation!!!!! I have even jotted down the page number that it is on, for a second look...
Lord, help me never be so satisfied that I am unable to learn from you or from the little ones in my path. Blessings, Anne (AKA Mimi)
Matthew 25:45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”
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