Counting my blessings... even when they are driving me crazy!

I'm not a perfect mom. There I've said it for the world to see.  In all my imperfections I can not understand how God thought it would be wise to make me, the imperfect one, a mother to four children.  Even when strangers ask how many children I have, I often feel I need to invite them to sit down first before I tell them that I have four children.  Four blessings.

This morning we counted our four blessings and tucked them into the van and drove for two hours to an airport to add someone else's blessing to our crew for 10 days. My oldest daughter's friend from Nova Scotia.  Yah, count them now.  Three hormonal teenager girls, a boy child who has started to chafe at the thought of holding his mother's hand, and the cute one our youngest daughter, who is still cute because the hormones haven't hit yet!  With this crew in tow my Farmer husband and I went to the London farm show.  Ok, sanity isn't something that I try to hold onto, I lost it when the cute one was born.

I spent the day counting my blessings... 1,2,3,4,5 over and over. With the occasional glare at the hormonal teenage boys who forgot they were at the show to look at the new tractors, not my daughters!

I know why I stopped at four kids. Farmer husband and I only have four arms between the two of us to corral this crew.  Some how adding the fifth through my rhythm off a tad.  I think it was changing the 4 count to a 5 count.  We survived, we were blessed when a stranger offered us a discount coupon at the concession when we stopped for drinks.  Perhaps he felt sorry for us with 5 kids to fill up with soda. Either way we were blessed and I reminded the younger ones that God provides for us, even pop!  That's when I realized my count was off. 1,2, ahhh were is 3,4,5?????  As heart moves from calm to overdrive and panic starts to rise I see them about 10 feet away sitting on tractors, Farmer husband was explaining how something worked to one of them.  Ok, exhale.

When Farmer suggested it was time to go half and hour later, I just about ran for the door! Finally, when all five kids were seat belted in and it was time to head towards home I counted my blessings again.

1. Safe travelling mercies for our far away come near friend.
2. Save travelling mercies for us on the highways and byways to get here.
3. Free popcorn and almost free soda for 5 hungry kids.
4. A wonderful Farmer husband who reaches to hold my hand.
5. Five children who are drifting off to sleep!

Shush! I think I have time to read on the way home.