a tale of a party

Spend a little time around my dancing fairy and you will hear a story. She loves to weave tales of parties and places and people. Some things are true and others originate from a land of make believe but they are her stories.

She has lots of stories to tell and some are repeated until they become a new reality, her reality and then mine (to a point, of course).

Convinced that birthdays are days randomly chosen to celebrate oneself, she regularly tells people that tomorrow is her birthday. Tomorrow. So people fawn over her and offer their well wishes and she comes away with the grand idea that she has created her birthday.

This does not work with me. I do not whip up a cake or hang the balloons. Tomorrow is not her birthday...but it is Mr. Unicorn's.

Poor Mr. Unicorn has aged considerably in the past month. It all started about the time when she finally realized that her make-a-birthday story did not create parties in our home for her. But what about her stuffed friend, Mr. Unicorn? How could he or I protest?

Nearly every day she tells me that we should gear up to celebrate Mr. Unicorn's birthday...tomorrow. And nearly every day I tell him happy birthday and let her decorate away. And she celebrates. And every night I clean up the party and the next day it reappears, though it does not always look the same. Other animal friends sometimes gather around to wish their stuffed companion a happy day. Scraps of paper and streamers are attached to the walls with masking tape. It is bright, it is cheery, it is messy, it is fun.

This past weekend she took it up a notch, and made invitations for a celebration. Every one she met received a small scrap of paper covered with stickers. "An invitation," she told them. We wondered if the handful of invited guests would appear at our door to celebrate the dear, pink fella and decided that we could ignore it no longer.

"Let's do it, let's put a little party together for him," Andy decided. So we set the date and told the girl our plans. She was thrilled.

Presents were wrapped, papers were decorated and hung on the basement walls, her best tea set was laid out. Her stories about Mr. Unicorn's upcoming birthday party were told to every listening ear. She was so excited that one might have wondered if it were her own special day.

Today was the day. She finished the decorating while I baked our sweet treats. We picked up Joyce and brought her home with us. Nothing could be more perfect and then..a call for a showing this evening. We packed away our party magic with promises for the celebration to continue just a little bit later.

While Mr. Hitchcock and a brown haired fella toured our home (they arrived 15 minutes early!) we took our supper in a local park, sandwiches eaten on a park bench. Evie laughed and climbed as we watched the sun dip behind the trees. New friends came and joined the fun for a bit before we loaded up and headed home, party on our minds ( with the exception of one of our party guests for which the party treats were the biggest draw).

A game of memory, a rousing rendition of  "Happy birthday", gift opening and a cupcake treat. The party, the night was a success. And especially triumphant was a smallish girl who got her party after all for, as she was quick to often remind us, Mr. Unicorn is actually pretend so he can't really play a game or open presents or eat his cupcake (or even blow out the candle!). How good it was that he had such a kind friend to assist him...

a new song

"I waited patiently for The Lord;

And He inclined to me and heard my cry,

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction

Out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock

Making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth,

A song of praise to our God. 

Many will see and fear and will trust in The Lord."

Psalm 40:1-3

I need a new song today. If you have spent time with me in the past few days you would agree. 

I have not been waiting patiently for The Lord. I threw patience out the window and faced life with my fight on. No one who has observed me lately could possibly " see and fear and trust in The Lord." 

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I need a new song today. We have been walking a long, dusty trail. There's nothing like a few rocks in your shoe to make the journey seem unbearable. 

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I need a new song today. I've had front row tickets to a modern day production of  " The Good Samaritan." Believe me, just as you can not judge a book by its cover you cannot measure a person's character by their fancy words. Love is an action word, an action that trumps our own needs or wants. 

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I need a new song today. I have a little girl who is starting to mirror my angst. I cannot tell her that God is good and completely trustworthy and full of love while I live a life of frustration at the circumstances that frame our days. As I see the unseen she will too. 

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I need a new song today. A song of praise to my God.