on time

So we got another lesson in God's timing tonight. After dinner, I thought it might be fun to ride up to Chick Fil A to get the kid size ice cream cones...those are Isabela and Joaquin's favorite treats (and yes...I guess I like them, too). We NEVER leave the house after dinner, so this was extra special. I almost left in my little stretch nightgown that I can now fit into, but thought, "What if I break down on the road...I wouldn't want to be walking home in this" so I threw something on. But keep in mind this is supposed to be a quick trip to the drive thru and back home.

We order our cones and there's about five cars in front of us when Joaquin starts yelling about having to go to the bathroom REALLY bad. Well, I'm certainly not going to park and carry in Diego and three ice cream cones just so he can go to the bathroom. I say all kinds of things like, "Well, if you can't hold it, we're not coming out for ice cream anymore" and nonsense like that. It works for awhile while we're still sitting in the drive thru line, but then he decides he just can't wait. So I'm trying to figure out how to do this.

What I come up with is ...I'll hold two ice cream cones and let Isabela hold hers and she'll take Joaquin into the bathroom while I wait in the car with Diego. Of course, there's no parking near the door, so they have to cross the parking lot, so I get out to make sure they get across safely...then stand on the side of the van licking two cones that are melting, waiting for them to come back.

So they come back and we're off, quietly riding home, happily licking our ice cream cones. But when we get to our street corner, there is a firetruck, police, ambulance and many onlookers to a huge crash where both cars look totaled. We weren't allowed down our street at first and had to go past and make a U turn. But it hit me as we were pulling in the driveway that that could have been us! If we hadn't stopped to use the bathroom, we could have been at the intersection when someone ran the stop sign.

I apologized to Joaquin for fussing at him about the bathroom and tried to explain the idea of God's timing to the kids. I think they got it a little. They both listened intently while I told the story to Juan Pablo over the phone, and then Isabela asked me to tell her again.

This is just another reminder that even the little annoyances of life are part of the plan...although, that "don't go out after dinner rule" might just be a good idea for now.