Praying for Shoes

After work Friday, at the end of the school day, there was an announcement that all Sophomore sponsor teachers were to go down to the front office.  I am a Sophomore class sponsor.  My duties for the year involve being a chaperone at the Sweetheart dance in the Spring.  It was canceled this year because there were not enough tickets sold.  So, down to the office I went.

In the office, one of our assistant principals was sitting there with a list of the Junior and Senior sponsors, the list of Sophomore sponsors, and the sign up sheet for those sponsors to help with Prom the next day.  The sign up sheet was not full.  I knew what was coming next.

Sure enough, she said that since the Sweetheart dance had been canceled and we had not helped out all year that Sophomore sponsors were to help with Prom the next evening and which 10 pm - midnight job did I want?

I have been working on trying to get to church at least 10 minutes early and to prepare myself and my family for the Sabbath and partaking of the Sacrament by completing our Saturday work early enough so we can be more focused, prepared, and rested for the Sabbath.  So far, we have been on time and not as rushed.

This weekend that was going to be particularly difficult because I also had a twelve page max, with APA references, final research paper due in one of my graduate classes on the following Monday.  I had started it, but with the intent that the majority of the work would be done early Saturday morning, and also in the evening after the boys went to sleep.

I have not been doing school work on Sunday.  I promised myself when I started college that Sundays were just for church, Sabbath activities, and spending time with my family without the obstruction of school work.  Attending prom was going to add more complexity to the impending assignment and make me very tired for the Sabbath.

Reluctantly, without peace in my heart, I signed up for the King and Queen voting table from 10 - 12 at prom.  My boys ride a bus to meet me at the high school after school, so I collected them from my classroom and headed out to the car, and not realizing, and not caring when I finally noticed, that they were walking through the grass and parking lot in just their socks.  I was focused on my unhappiness with the prom thing.  Unnoticed by me, they had taken off their shoes in my classroom and put them in their backpacks.

Saturday evening came.  I had spent more of the day than I like working on research.  I love to play with my boys, but had to send them off to play more than I cared to.  They did little things to each other (not good things) to get my attention.  They just wouldn't go to bed by themselves with me working on my paper (surprise).  I finally settled down with them on the couch so they could fall asleep watching TV with me and my computer between them.

After putting his head on my lap between me and my laptop, my kindergartener finally fell asleep.  Not my eight year old boy.  Nine o'clock came and he was still awake.  It takes about 10 minutes for me to get ready and twenty minutes to get to Lake Jackson and the prom.  I still had time and finally told him that he had to sleep because I had to go to prom.  He started to cry.  He didn't want me to leave.  I laid on the bed with him until I thought he was asleep, then got up, only to hear him cry out.  It was 9:30.  I went and got ready anyway, telling him I would get ready while he laid on my bed.  At 9:45, he was still sad, but more willing to lay down by his father.

 As I was about to leave, he said, will you say family prayer with me?  Who could resist something like that?  My heart was touched.  We said prayer, then he went and laid down by hid dad.

The next day, at 7 am, I awoke for church, procrastinated a bit, then got busy getting myself and everyone ready.  By 8:00, the boys were bathed (their dad got them to do that) and dressed, except for shoes. I had some problems printing a matching paper for the Primary class I was teaching.  After messing with things for a bit, I decided to just copy it from the manual at church.  The boys just needed shoes.  I looked at the clock, saw it was 8:15 and thought we could just get shoes on in the car on the way, since it was in Lake Jackson, fifteen minutes away.  The younger boy's shoes were in the closet.  Teddy's were gone.  I then we remembered we had looked all over the house on Saturday, and I had just made him wear his flip flops since we couldn't find them.  On time to church, much less early, was becoming a dream.

My oldest boy would not wear his old shoes that were in the closet.  He insisted, not too calmly, on looking all over the house again.  Under beds.  In closets.  In the back yard.  In the garage.  Nothing.  I finally left the old shoes by the front door, and went to the car to wait, frustrated.

Finally, he came out and calmly got in the car.  As soon as he closed the door, he announced, "Now I know where my shoes are!  In my backpack!"  We opened the back of the car to get out his backpack, opened it up, and found his shoes!  I gave them to him, began to pull out of the driveway, set to now be five to ten minutes LATE for church, and he said, "I knew I would find them.  I said a prayer."

I am so grateful that he is understanding the power of prayer.  It is amazing the faith of children.  I am so grateful that things that I have been trying to teach can be reflected back, and that my children are listening.  I am even more grateful for a Heavenly Father that works through the Holy Ghost to give us promptings, and that He loves each of us so much that he will even answer the prayer of an eight year old boy looking for his shoes.  I am good with being late.