ouch!

This morning I was reminded of just how bad a "boo boo" can hurt. And how it can hurt in so many ways too... not just physically, but it seems to bruise your pride a little bit too!

It was a beautiful morning, a little overcast with a slight breeze blowing. I dropped the kids off at Mother's Day Out ready for a work-out, but instead of heading to the gym I decided I would ditch the treadmill and enjoy some open air! (I'm now wishing I'd stuck to my old faithful treadmill!) I headed up to a local park with a great track for running, walking, strolling, etc.

I began running and quickly begin feeling out of breath and really tired, so I turned up my iTunes and got a rhythm going. Before long I was running smoothly, enjoying my beautiful surroundings (as opposed to staring at the same thing on a treadmill) and praising the Lord as songs of worship flowed from my iPod. It was such an unbelievable feeling... and then I decided to cut over to another path. Bad decision. This short crossover path wasn't paved nice and smooth like the other paths had been. Still in my groove, I didn't notice the huge hole just ahead of me! My foot fell into the hole, my ankle twisted, and my body was taken to the ground.

Ouch! That one is going to leave a mark! And yes it did.
And even worse, I tore a hole through my favorite pair of workout pants!!!
Not to mention the embarrassment I felt as several people slowed down or stopped to check on me as I sat on the ground trying to determine if and how I was going to be able to even stand up, let alone make it back to my car! Although I felt pain, it didn't totally seem to set in until I did in fact stand up and slowly tried to make it back to my car. As I began to slowly put weight on my bad ankle, it hurt, but the pain was definitely manageable. The pain I then began to notice was my knee and its fiery stinging. I looked down and then realized my favorite pants had torn and my knee had taken a slight beating.

As I got into my car and drove home, very aware of my aching ankle and stinging knee, I was reminded how bad "boo boos" really do hurt. And I was also realizing that sometimes the pain even got worse before it got better! I also seemed to come to the conclusion that even after the pain faded a little, the memory was still there of those people who watched the entire thing happen. And although none of them were laughing at me by any means, I was telling myself they were. My pride had been "bruised" a little. Most importantly, however, I became aware of how often my little b's get "boo boos" and how often I try to toughen them up quickly and even get frustrated with them sometimes when the drama seems to go on longer than I think it should. Wow! Tough lesson for me today. "Boo boos" hurt... physically and emotionally; and sometimes we just want to be comforted, even when the physical pain goes away.

It is funny, but as I come to the end of this I am now typing with a smile, realizing how everything really does happen for a reason. Thank you Lord for this gentle reminder. There are going to be many more "boo boos" along the way. Some will be small and some will be big. And some of them are even going to hurt, but we will always find comfort in you. May I always come to you for that comfort.

I also had a harsh reminder as a mommy. My little b's need comforting when they are hurt, and sometimes even more than I think they really need. (Because I now have been reminded how bad a skinned knee really does hurt!) I know there will come a day sooner than later that they won't need my comforting as much, so why don't I just enjoy it now... drama and all!