A Good Time to be Together

Today I took my kids on a run.  This is something we do regularly-- my wonderful friend blessed me with a double jogging stroller and I have been making good use of it.  Sometimes we drive into town and run on a paved trail by a park that my kids love.  This, to me, is a luxury.  Most day, however, we tough it out on our terrible, rutted, dusty gravel road.  The days I do this, I usually times my mileage by .5 and then add that.  For example, today we ran 3 miles.  Half of 3 is 1.5, so today I would say my run actually had the effort of at least 4.5 miles.  This is a conservative estimate; the county recently added large new gravel to the road, which is good for vehicles but BAD for jogging strollers and tired mamas.  Long story short, running with 80+ pounds of children and stroller on a gravel road is hard.

Not only do I have to deal with crappy roads, large hills, neighbors dogs that like to run with me, and those birds I am sure are actually demons in disguise (red-winged-blackbirds)-- I also have to deal with one of the most trying species known to mankind on my run: toddler boys who won't. stop. talking. ever.    

EVER.

My 3 year old keeps up a running (ha! pun!) commentary during our jogging trips.  And, if you know any 3 year olds, you know that you MUST answer every one of their questions or the world will end.  Weeping and gnashing of teeth, the whole bit.  Here's a small sample of today's conversation:

Silas: Mama, are those baby goats?
Kara (softly, because she's a little out of breath from running up a quarter-mile hill): Yes
Silas: Mama! Are THOSE the baby GOATS?
Kara (a little louder, a little desperate because she can't breathe): Yes!
Silas: MAMA! ARE THOSE THE BABY GOOOOOAAAAATTTTSSSSS?????
Kara: OH MY GOODNESS YES THOSE ARE THE STUPID GOATS STOP TALKING BECAUSE I CAN'T BREATHE!
(Silence for 10 seconds)
Silas: Mama, don't say stupid, it's naughty.

Anyway, this can be a little frustrating.  Today, however, God used my sweet, loving, inquisitive and sometimes (ahem) infuriating little boy to put me in my place.  Just as I was about to stop the stroller and give my kiddos a lecture on how they need to just BE QUIET and ENJOY the BEAUTIFUL DAY because it's FUN to go running in God's creation-- I started to actually listen to what Silas was saying:
    Great job, Mama! You're doing so good! It's so good to run together! God is helping you run so fast! This is a good time for us to be together!

That time, I almost had to stop because the tears in my eyes were blurring my vision.

What a great reminder to stop and listen to my kids.  Not only do they need my love, attention, and patience-- God can also use them to speak to my heart the exact words I need to hear.

My kids are only going to be small enough for me to push them on a run for a short time.  They're only going to be small, period, for a short time.  "This is a good time for us to be together" is probably one of the most profound things I've ever heard, and it came from my 3 year old.  I'm going to file this conversation away in my brain to pull back up every time I get tired or annoyed or impatient or distracted-- very soon, there will be very little time to be together. 

But, praise Jesus, it's not here yet.  Now I'm going to get them up from their naps.  We're going to make enchiladas together, and it's going to be an absolute disaster-- but seriously, I wouldn't have it any other way.