Dropping the ball

Gosh, I hate dropping the ball. I feel like such a failure when I do and yet we can’t escape dropping the ball from time to time. Sometimes it’s good because it is a lesson in humility – we aren’t perfect, never will be. Sometimes the lesson is – is my plate too full and is there something I need to let go of? Sometimes the lesson is about grace – the grace we receive from those impacted by our dropping the ball.

This spring our oldest son will graduate from high school. Every week the school sends a plethora of information to sift through; newsletters, emails, phone calls, even texts. Everything you ever wanted to know and more, and more, and more. For me personally, it’s information overload. Multiple kids, multiple schools, and keeping up with all the information is near impossible. Not sure how we got to this point, but I sure feel like I’m drowning in all of it. This year I told myself that I would be on top of my game when it came to keeping up with all the information, after all, it’s senior year. But, I dropped the ball.

I missed an important deadline for turning in the senior ad for the yearbook; that page dedicated to your senior with well wishes and a few pictures. I misread the information on the flyer and I stored the wrong date in my brain. I seem to do that more often now days. I quickly contacted those in charge. They said no. I pleaded and tried the heartstring card. They still said no. There was a deadline and that was that. I was crushed. I don’t know why this felt so huge for me, but it did. The yearbook usually gets viewed once or twice and then gets stored for decades. I guess I felt I had let my son down and I had dropped the ball, big time. So I told him what happened. I broke down in tears as I shared the story. He said, “mom, it’s really not a big deal.” “But I wanted to do this for you, something special. I didn’t want to drop any balls this year. It’s your senior year,” I said. We hugged and I cried some more. He said, “it’s ok mom.” Funny how the tables turn over time. He was comforting me. Grace extended, grace received. “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” John 1:16. To be givers of grace as well as to be receivers of grace is what Jesus taught. To give and receive grace is to give and receive love.

The tears have since dried, but I’m still reflecting on the good that came out of this experience. My son got to see the real, the raw, the emotional me. He was able to see my heart and comfort me and that is good. Our job as moms is to keep everything moving smoothly and seamlessly and sometimes it doesn’t work that way and that’s ok. It’s important that our kids see that we mess up, that we cry and that they experience our asking for forgiveness. I hope I am reminded of the grace, tenderness and love that was extended to me by my son, the next time I am asked to extend those same things to him.

As I look back on this event, I am thankful. I am thankful for the lesson in humility; thankful for the lesson on grace; thankful for the love and forgiveness shared. And I am thankful for shutterfly.com and Michael’s who can create and frame a pretty collage and capture my son’s senior year ad.