Hard things...

right after bath time tonight. oh, i love this one. never a dull moment. ever.

be still my heart. i may actually start liking football.

What a day.

As I sit down to type, Presley is snuggled up right next to me. Our typical nightly routine.

She and I and the Disney channel. That's how we roll.

I have been waiting all day for this moment to sit down, exhale and blog about my week. This spiritual journey that God has been taking me on has been filled with ups and downs and downs and ups and around the bends, and then again.

You catch my drift.

Well, that's not what I will be blogging about at the moment. My mind is on another event.

After school, the kids and I headed over to the county recreation department to sign my Joseph up for football. Yes, football.

Lem talked him into it late last night. Joseph was very hesitant at first, but with Lem's persuasion he gave in. Let's just say that this just may be the happiest I have EVER seen my husband. Ever.

Of course, all of this is against my better judgement because.....well,....I'm a Momma. Momma's don't like to see their babies gettin' hurt.

Y'all with me on this?

Okay, good.

So, while signing him up today, they take him back to get him fitted for his uniform. Presley and I are sitting in the small, hot room waiting on him. I am casually talking to the sweet lady that works at the rec. department. Small talk and all that dandy stuff.

Presley, because she can never keep her little hands still, digs a peppermint out of my purse.

She sweetly asks me if she can have it. Without hesitation or even thinking, I say, "Yes, darlin'".

After still sitting in that hot little room, I decide it would be a good time to go to the restroom. Besides, my friends were working right outside in the gym on their consignment sale for the Mom's club, and I wanted to say hello.

We speak to some of our friends and head to the bathroom. Presley goes first. Then myself.

I am in full stream, when Presley screams at the top of her lungs and starts grabbing her throat.

My first thought was that she had seen a snake or a large rodent.

I grab her and yell back..."what's wrong?? what's wrong??!!"

She proceeds to tell me that she is choking.

CHOKING??

I quickly turn her around, her head facing the toilet and perform my version of the Heimlech. I thrust her stomach all the while she is screaming.

She is screaming and coughing at the same time and I am screaming, "Jesus, Jesus, help me Jesus."

My pants are at my ankles, and I have my daughter head first over the toilet.

Lord only knows what this scene looked like.

Seconds later, I turn her around and she seems fine. No sign of the peppermint.

I asked her if she could breathe. She said yes.

I said: are you sure?

She said yes, but her throat hurt.

Apparently she swallowed it.

I proceed to pull my pants up and open the bathroom door. My hands are shaking and my knees are weak. I think I may faint.

The next thing I know, she jumps in my arms and starts hugging me. We cry and cry, and cry.

Did this really just happen? Right here in the recreation department bathroom?

Yep. I believe it did.

We finally get our composure and head back to the hot little office to see if Joseph is finished. As we walk past the Mom's getting things ready for the consignment sale this is what I am thinking....

"Oh my gosh. I just had the biggest scare of my life in that little bathroom, and nobody has a clue."

Until now.

The funny thing is, I have never let my children have peppermints. Ever.

 Until today.

 I was always telling them that they were a choking hazard and they were absolutely off limits.

And look what happened.

I don't think they will be asking for peppermints anymore. At least, I know Presley won't.

Ironically, as I look back on today's events, I remember something Presley gave me this morning.

Completely out of the blue, in the carpool line, she hands me this little book mark that reads:

"I can do hard things."

After signing my baby boy up for tackle football and performing the Heimlech on my 6 year old...I do believe I can do hard things.

So can you.

banning peppermints and pretty much all things hard and round,

jill

"I can do all things through Christ who strenghthens me." Phillipians 4:13