Psalm 32:11Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
We love the movie The Sound of Music! It is one of our family favorites. The kids like it because it is so long and they get to stay up later when we watch it. We all like it because of the catchy musical score. And then, of course, there is the historical, cultural, and geographical lessons to be gleaned and discussed. And I just love Fraulein Maria and her desire to serve God and be used, even through challenges.
This past week I had a Fraulein Maria moment. We set out to take a bike ride after lunch on Tuesday. The weather was unseasonably warm and we were going to enjoy it together as a break from our school day. Imagine, me in the lead followed by six, smiling, laughing, singing (or not) children. As we rounded the second corner leading away from our house, I glanced behind me and I could have broken into "Doe, a deer, a female dear...".
My thoughts were very lost in the storyline of our lives, how we have all come together and how God is doing a good work. Really I could have teared up right there biking along. How precious. And how blessed. And what a beautiful day. "Climb every mountain..."
After the third corner there was an odd sound of bike tires rubbing together and as I whipped my head around in terror, a crashing sound of metal on metal and a boy child being thrown from his bike, landing on his head, skidding to a stop on his face.
This was not part of my Fraulein Maria moment!
I am thankful for bike helmets and for little boys who are excited to have loose teeth, even if it means skidding on your face to get it! We came out of the accident with minimal blood and were even able to continue on our bike ride, this time a little more cautious about the space between bikes and looking up as we ride.
Wednesday we tried it again. Apparently we did not learn much from the previous day's excitement. We set out immediately after lunch again, taking a different route this time with plans to explore a neighborhood where we have never been. I was in the lead, followed by six smiling, laughing children. "The hills are alive, with the sound of music..."
Really, I could have imagined all the children wearing clothing made of curtains. The moment was so idyllic. Until we reached the stop sign at the end of the next street. We were only two blocks from home. Noah and I had stopped to wait for everyone else to cross the busy road. Sadly, the next two people had forgotten to look up and they crashed, getting one child's leg stuck in the mid-section of her bike and taking off several layers of skin on her knee, in addition to several scratches and bruises on her arm and legs. That was nearly the end of my Fraulein Maria moment.
But, we were able to walk the bikes home and administer first aid. The oldest children continued on a shorter bike ride together. And we finished the afternoon with icees and a history review on our front porch.
So, I may not be Fraulein Maria, but I do love all of these children and I enjoy the adventures we have together, even when we crash.
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