Who Are You Today?

A monkey.  That's what Eddie is today - a monkey.  A couple of years ago, he was a monkey in his class play opera.  Yes, he was a singing monkey.  In front of lot of people.  He did a fantastic job, and he loved it.  I figured that we'd combine the needed costume with Halloween, and I made him a bona fide monkey suit.  Brown sweatpants, a brown sweatshirt with a tail attached to the back hem, and a brown stocking cap with ears stitched on.  It was a great costume - and easy.  Great and cheap and easy is my favorite.  He still wears it.

Unless he's wearing the marching band drum major costume I made nearly ten years ago.  Or the blue tin soldier costume, with its brass buttons.  Or the tunic, belted at the waist with an elvish cape.  Eddie raids the costume boxes on a regular basis, looking for fun things to wear.  It's not unusual to find him all in black, doing ninja escapades.  Or another all-in-black, with his Sunday pants and a large black suit jacket, dark sunglasses and a secret-service-like wire snaking behind his ear into his black shirt.  I love seeing what he has reamed up for the day.

Eddie is so bright and imaginative.  He makes up games and stories with David and Chris - and occasionally still Ben, too.  Every day can be a different adventure, played by a different character, in a different situation. What a fun world to live in!

Every day truly is a new adventure.  And I'm not always the same character with the same personality.  Today I was tired Mom, who likes to sit on the couch and read the news.  And maybe some stories t the little ones.  She drags herself to an upright position only when absolutely necessary, and mumbles incoherent jibberish about needing to get to bed earlier.  A few days ago, I was Mad Mom, and the slightest things would get me fuming.  After that, I was Discouraged Mom.  How about Martyr Mom?  Everyone loves that character!

But shouldn't I be Happy Mom?  And Grateful Mom?  And Loving Mom?  No guilt.  It's not necessary or useful, except in helping me decide to get better.  Then we're done with it.  But  yes!  YES!  I should - and can!  And the Lord will help me when it gets hard, because it does.  And He does.  Because He loves me, and wants me to succeed and be a good mother and bring up these children to be hard-working, thankful, happy, productive adults.  And with His help, I will.

And when I get up in the morning, I will decide which persona I will take on for the day.  Where's my cape?