Sunday, July 29, 2007

Inconvenient Love


“Mom?”

The tiny voice erupts inches from my ear, jolting me awake. I crack one eye open – 3:15. Sandman is playing tricks again. I get to choose between trudging the cherub back to her own bed and spending the rest of the night wedged between a snorer and a spinner.

Reluctantly, I slide over and doze off again for thirty whole minutes, until … “Mom?” It’s Christopher. The deafening crash of my blankets falling over his sister awakened her brother. He wants to cuddle, too. As soon as I feed him breakfast.

In today’s Gospel, I always thought the man who wouldn’t get up to get his friend a loaf to feed his unexpected company was unbelievably rude. What did he mean, “My children and I are sleeping…?”

Now I get it.

3 comments:

Jane (a.k.a. patjrsmom) said...

Hi,
Just found your blog. We're adoptive parents of two Ethiopian kids and four by birth. What a sweet story this is--I do believe my children have a middle of the night alarm clock (audible only to their ears)that goes off at the same time as yours! If we could only find that clock! ;-)

Jane

Heidi Hess Saxton said...

Welcome, Jane! You might also like to check out my column for adoptive parents at http://www.catholicmom.com/saxton.htm. God bless you!

KristineFranklin said...

In the time of Jesus most families spread out on the floor to sleep. That Daddy would have had to stumble around in the pitch dark, trying not to step on his family members. What we moderns don't get is how RUDE the neighbor was to come at that time of the night and ask for a favor - notice he isn't starving to death, he wants food to feed (and impress?) an out of town guest! It is the neighbor who is audacious. And guess what? We can be audacious with God. He loves us a whole lot more than our neighbors do. If a neighbor will help a rude and inconsiderate friend, how much more will our Heavenly Father help us?