Today was a busy day; we had a flurry of appointments and things to gather before (another) winter storm. The children are always excited to have a morning in town, but this particular morning Mary Margaret was feeling a bit grumpy. She was fussing about this and that, and then said out of the blue, "I can't stand how Tommy always feels happy. Why don't I always feel happy?" I started preaching and philosophizing about happiness being a choice, etc... all to no avail. I was also beginning to feel frustrated by the constant fussing. What to do?
Oliver to the rescue. Oliver could try the patience of Job, but he has his shining moments that rank him right up there with the saints. He suddenly perked up and said, "Mary Margaret. Do you know what?" Mary Margaret was sobbing at this point, but she managed to squeeze out a pitiful, "What?"
"I'm not kidding, Mary Margaret. You are the prettiest girl I have ever seen in my whole life. You have such nice long blond hair and pretty white teeth. There's only one problem." By this time Mary Margaret was all ears. "When you get older all the boys are going to like you and Mom and Dad are going to go crazy!"
That fast, everything turned around. The crying stopped, the smile was back, and we had a wonderful day.
I was thinking about the incident later in the day, and I was thinking how usually when we are down, we just need someone to love us. No preaching. No moralizing. Just a good old-fashioned hug. Thank you, Oliver, for reminding me of that.
