December 14 – “Crisis averted”

 

 

It was quite hoggy yesterday in Galveston.  Yes, I know.  I wasn't sure what that meant either the first time I heard it.  And coming from Cailyn it was difficult to discern any context clues as well.  We finally figured it out, though.  Hoggy.  Foggy.  Of course.  Come to find out, she had pulled it on her Mommy as well, and April turned it into a Sesame Street lesson on the letter "F."  Nice job, April.

 

We did have a near crisis yesterday.  Cailyn had settled down somewhat from her usual flurry of constant activity.  She was playing by herself in the den near where Mom usually sits and naps during the day.  At least we thought she was alone.  She was deeply engaged in a conversation with someone, but we didn't want to get too close and spoil the magic of the whole interchange. 

 

And then Mom entered the room.  She, too, had an agenda for play.  It involved getting as close as she could to Cailyn and offering to join her in that very loud, sing-songy voice she comes up with.  Cailyn handles Mom's attention pretty well for the most part.  She simply treats her as she would any other potential play mate.  If she wants interaction, she welcomes her and reads her into the ongoing script.  If not, however, she can be quite verbal about it.  That usually results in a statement of rejection in no uncertain terms, accompanied as well by a physical blocking of the pathway to insure no infringement on property rights.  This particular reaction fell somewhere in between the two. 

 

Mom came into the room, pushing her walker and sing-songing her entrance.  Cailyn was greatly involved in her own scenario, so she barely looked up.  That is, until Mom sat down, not in her spot in the recliner, but on the couch.  There it was.  The crisis point.  See, Mom had inadvertently sat down right on top of … those two elusive imaginary friends, Boy and Friend.  Cailyn immediately reacted, urging her to move quickly, a feat that wasn't going to happen on one of Mom's best days.  "You're sitting on Boy and Friend," Cailyn explained.  To which Mom retorted, "Oh, well, I'll move when they get here."  And so it began.  They were not even on the same page, so communication was not going to happen fast enough to rescue Boy and Friend or preserve a civil conversation.

 

Sensing the crisis, Chris stepped in.  She quickly acknowledged the difficulty of the situation and made a suggestion, "Cailyn, why don't you ask Boy and Friend to move over and sit on this end of the couch?"  Surprisingly, and thankfully, that's all it took this time.  Boy and Friend were happy to squeeze out from under their dilemma, and they apparently assured Cailyn that they were fine with the negotiations.  It's so nice when all ends well.

 

Isaiah 33:2 says, "O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you.  Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

 

Father, thank you for peaceful settlements.  Help our leaders discover some.  Amen.