January 7 – “Mommy Gut”

On Sunday morning Josh was already up again and hard at work on his computer.  And this time he was really awake.  Something about it being Sunday morning in a pastor’s house just teems with anticipation.  It was kind of disconcerting though, not being the first one up.  I can’t remember the last time someone beat me up at home.  Wait.  That didn’t sound exactly right.  I didn’t mean beat me up.  I meant beat me up … awake.  Oh, except of course for Luke.  He beat us all up.

Christi’s “Mommy Gut” was telling her to keep Luke home from church.  I never have understood that.  It somehow combines intuition and instinct and a vast array of old wives’ tales to form this uncanny ability to “just know” things about your child.  It’s kind of scary, actually.  But Luke was really stopped up and having a hard time breathing.  Stuffy noses are the pits when you haven’t learned how to breathe out of your mouth yet.  Minus two on the roster for church. 

At the table Caleb asked his Mommy to sit by him while he ate breakfast.  So Christi took Luke back from Chris and settled down next to him to feed Luke.  And … Caleb promptly vomited.  No warning.  Fortunately I was in the other room getting dressed.  Three down.  Zak calmly made the observation, “Now I’m the only one going to church.”  So what are we, Zak, chopped liver?

Church was nice.  Felt strange to be worshipping from a pew and sitting next to … who was that good looking woman, anyway?  Oh, yeah.  That would be my wife.  Josh preached powerfully.  They still like him a lot.  Caleb was doing much better when we got home.  He must have just had a birthday hangover.  Pork roast and potatoes and carrots and green beans and corn for lunch. 

But finally the time came for us to head back home.  Back to the Island.  The trip home was uneventful.  We stopped in College Station at Cracker Barrel for supper.  That’s becoming sort of a tradition for us.  Fried chicken livers for me.  Chicken fried chicken for Chris.  Fuel for the final leg of the journey.  Healthy stuff, huh? 

Proverbs 31:25-28 says, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”

Father, thank you for that weird Mommy Gut you have graced the special women in my life with.  May it ever increase to the benefit of their children.  Amen.