mommy and son date success!

    i had practiced my "better listening" the rest of the week. i was again exhausted by saturday. my fluish daughter in for a nap i asked my husband, "would you like for me to take mikey to the yarn store with me?" i cringed thinking of all the yarn he would be tempted to touch and how loud he would probably be. my husband said, "yes, it will be good for him to get out of the house." i agreed and felt a little guilty for wanting to go alone. i asked mikey if he wanted to come with me to the yarn store, secretly hoping he would say no. "of course i want to go with you mommy," was his proclamation with much gusto.
*i was washed with guilt for wanting to go alone* 
   this particular saturday rained a cats and dogs type of rain most of the day and we drove while listening to a folk style c.d. with wonderfully sung promises from God. mikey and i chewed spearmint gum and talked only a little. he told me that the music reminded him of a renaissance veggie tales movies called pistachio. i thought that was cute.
   we first stopped at a consignment shop where mikey played in a toy room right by my dressing room. he found himself a church shirt and a book while i found his sister a pink valor sweat shirt with an gigantic apple on the front. he. was. the apitamony. of wonderful. at the register he charmed the owner of the shop who gave him a one sided gold coin. she told him he could exchange it for a cookie in the cafe upstairs. he was beyond excited to have a coin like the super villain two face.
    in the yarn store he charmed yet another shop owner and the two of them waxed philosophic about batman while i, giving in to temptation, touched all the yarn. he was gentle with the bunnies that hopped around the shop and even asked the owner's daughter questions about her life, as if they were long lost friends and that the 7-8 year age gap didn't exist. 
   in the cafe he asked if he could leave the cookie and keep the coin and the barissta was so charmed by this that she gave him both. while my cupcake flavored steamer was being steamed i showed mikey a grand picture of workmen having lunch perched high above a city on an I beam. we talked about those men and the dangerous job they did while i noted in my head that every single person mikey came in contact with today, he asked them, "do you know Jesus?" 
   what a testimony he is to me. every night i pray over this boy that he will grow to be strong and courageous and go boldly into the world speaking the name of Jesus and at four the Lord is showing me answered prayer already. mikey shows me it's as easy as asking, "Hey! do you know Jesus?" without fear. in a charming sing-song voice. smiling with even his eyes. and so what if people are a little put off, "because i know Jesus and if you don't you'll be thrown into the lake of fire," very matter-of-fact. 
   in the car, wet yet very contented i hear him from the back seat. "mommy? this was sort of like a mommy and me date hugh?"
   i smile wondering if he was a mind reader. "yeah buddy it kind of was like a mommy and mikey date."
   "i had fun! maybe we could do it again?" he asked with hope in his voice.
   "i think we should buddy," i turn back and smile warmly at him.  our time together wasn't forced but just sort of happened. when even i hadn't originally wanted it to. i really enjoyed standing back and watching him interact with others while i shopped here and there. we had good conversation and we both felt good about it. both of us really relaxed, like we used to be. yes. i'd say this was a mommy and son date success! preceded by my better listening week...it was a good week and this was the perfect relaxing way to end it. just being together, out and about. and seeing God work through this little boy and being blessed oh so much by it. thank you Lord!!!  =)