I have a cousin that runs a daycare out of her home. Which to me says she's already an angel because I wouldn't last 2 days!
Here's the thing about her intent.
She could easily bring those kids in every day and throw down a few PB&J's around 11:30 and collect a paycheck each week. But that's not her intent. She takes her role in raising these kids to heart. Sure, she does the fun stuff, the games, the hugs, the warm and fuzzy. She also takes on the tough stuff. The hard questions that come from young girls teased on the school bus, the tough questions about times that are hard at their own homes. And she doesn't take any crap .... because she cares. She's helping to shape the lives of these young people with patience and kindness. She's not just waiting around until their mom and dad get home from work, she's raising these kids. See the difference intent makes?
One more for today.
A couple of weeks ago I went with a gaggle of girlfriends for a weekend in the city to shop, drink, dance, and laugh. A quick escape from the day to day toughness of a working mom with two kids. Key word, my intent was to escape my normal life and rejuvenate.
The first morning I get a call from my handsome husband. He needs help getting some tickets to Monster Jam for him and the boy. Since I'm downtown anyway ...... (insert the sounds of screeching tires and broken glass). At that moment I was crushed, my escape had been foiled.
I'll save you the domestic disturbance that took place over cell and text for the next hour or so.
Then I stopped and I breathed and I sipped my Starbucks to regroup. I reminded myself that my husband had absolutely no intentions of ruining my weekend. He is practical and tactical and his phone call was one of efficiency not malicious intent. He wasn't out to ruin my weekend.
I had the power to let his call ruin my day or I could remind myself that his intent was pure. It just accidentally crashed into mine. And to be fair, I didn't set any expectations that I wasn't taking calls as a mom for the weekend. So I threw back the last of my latte and remembered that if anyone could pull out a killer Monster Jam weekend, it was my husband. He's built a lifetime around last minute heroic deeds. I would simply go on with my weekend of festivity and friendship as I had intended.
Sure enough, later that evening I saw the Facebook check in that Dad and Dude were sucking fumes at Monster Jam and having a blast. I 'liked' his comment and ordered a bourbon to celebrate everyone aligning with their original intent.
