When Sarah was in 3rd grade her bus driver loved listening to the Oldies on the radio station. Sarah came home off the bus singing phrases like “Stop! …Think it oh-oh-ver!” Or, “You ain’t nothing but a Hound dog!” We would sing along with her excited that she was trying to communicate in her own way. She thought she was funny and would say “Stop!” over and over again.
Mother’s Day that year we joined David’s Mom at her church. Her church only had childcare for children age 2 and under, but I was prepared. I packed a bag filled with Bible word searches, coloring pages, and activities sheets. All I needed was a flannel graph board and I could have held my own Sunday School class in our pew! 🙂 I was ready for anything… so I thought.
As we sat down, we tried to sit as much in the back as we could and David and I sat as bookends between our kids to try to control the environment. As the organist played the prelude, the music swelled and filled the sanctuary; I began to take out items out of my bag to hand them to the children. The organ stopped, yet you could still feel the vibration of the music against your chest. The sanctuary was quiet and reflective. The church was ready for the worship service to begin.
Seizing this moment, Sarah at the top of her lungs sang out, “Doctor, Doctor give me the news…” I was still bent over looking in the bag for colored pencils and I quickly sat up to cover her mouth. David on the other end thought the same thing and lunged over the other three children to try to stop her. What a sight for the people in the rows behind us! As I tried to whisk her out of the sanctuary with my hand still covering her mouth, she struggled with me to pull down my hand to belt out and finish the last phrase of “bad case of loving you!” before I could push open the double doors and get her out of there.
It was a Mother’s Day I will never forget and also perhaps for the good people at St. Michael’s Lutheran!
Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart, be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Growing up my Mom would say to me, “Garbage in, garbage out, Jill” as a reminder I needed to be careful of what I see and hear. What goes in is bound to affect my thoughts and come out in my words and actions. Now, as I remind my kids of “Garbage in, garbage out”, thanks to Sarah’s “Doctor, doctor”, I have another life lesson of what goes in, will come out…sometimes at the worst, most inopportune times!
Praying for Sarah G 
Hi Jill,
We sure appreciate receiving these messages. Save them. I still think you have a devotional book in you that can come out of these.
Our best to you all for a blessed (and better) New Year.
We keep praying for Sarah and for each of you.
Love,
Roger and Andrea
I am so deeply grateful for your faithful prayers for us! We can feel the prayers! Bless you! Thank you for your kind words! I am excited for your new book coming out in January! I am so proud of my uncle! Love you both!!!
So grateful to be a recipient of these wonderful life stories and our reminder that whatever we face, God’s grace is greater. May something so precious happen today for your entire family especially for Sarah, that it will just have to be recorded for all of us to rejoice with you as we continue to keep all of you in prayer especially Sarah.
Giving thanks for you!!!
Thank you so much!! So blessed to have you lifting us before the Throne in prayer!
Oh my goodness…I love this story:)
I have an embarrassing ryan story to go with this one,
He was two and a half I was very pregnant with Brooke and we lived in inkster.
We walked into a baskin and robbins by our house. Every employee was black and all ten people in line were black. We stood there waiting our turn and about five minutes into it I could see him looking around and his mind was just turning. In his very loud and innocent voice he yells, mom, why is everyone brown??!!!I grabbed his mouth and just w as noted to die! We couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
Love you friend. Have a wonderful new year!!!
Love you, sweet friend! Kids..got to love them! 🙂 Thank you for praying!
I get the garbage in – garbage out mantra to live by but I just gotta say as a side note: I simply love the story of Doctor Doctor as it stands alone! I believe God does too and I wildly choose to imagine that He cracked up laughing right along with some of the dear sainted folks in the pews that quite possibly dropped their spiritual guard long enough to get thrown off sacred spritiual center and actually ‘get it too’ and muffled outer laughter with a hee-hee-hee of inner celebration………..ah, AMEN & Hallelujah (imagine, God showing up in the flesh in a church service —- joy and humor manifest through his precious Sarah). What could be a more beautiful gift on mother’s day to not only you, Jill, but ALL “the good people of St. Michael’s Lutheran”. Come on, ya just gotta love it….God unleashed through the beautiful and pure heart of his beloved Sarah and in a setting that truly couldn’t be more appropriate!
…just saying 🙂
gayle
Love you, Gayle! You are a joy!
That is hilarious!! Thanks for a good laugh, Janet Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2013 16:09:52 +0000 To: themicales@msn.com
Thanks Janet!
Our children can embarrass us, and just bring laughter for all listening. Love ya, Sue
🙂 Glad to give a laugh! Love you! Thank you for praying!!