At the top of the half hour of yesterday's swim lessons at the city pool, I found my toddler chewing on something.
She was working it back in her molars, like it was a piece of gum or taffy. It was a band aid.
Who knew who it came from? Some nasty infected toe from a summer-take-your-bath-in-the-pool kid, or some sweaty adult during a free swim session earlier in the day? I almost gagged until I realized it was the band aid that we'd placed on her own knee from an outdoor tumble that same morning. No tetanus shots needed, thankfully.
Her knee-skin wasn't worthy of a band aid. She's in the middle of her "band aid phase", when every bump or boo-boo requires the kiss of her mother, father or grandmother, and the proper application of a band aid. Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Ponies, preferably.
I've had to stock up on band aids for invisible injuries. Sometimes even hurt feelings need a band aid in her little mind. When she asks for one, I laugh a little inside because it seems so silly, and then find her a little-girl band aid to heal her boo-boo.
I indulge her, maybe even patronize her, because I know that the band aid itself, although it does no real healing for an invisible owie, helps her even so. The real band aid seems to serve as a heart-protector, rather than a covering for a fake bump on her shin.
Mama kisses her. Mama laughs a little. Mama finds her a band aid to make it feel better on the inside. Mama tells her it will be just fine. And then she forgets about her injury.
Sometimes I think I ask God for band aids when I really don't need them. I ask Him to fix things that really don't need fixed or change things that are just fine the way they are. But what I am really asking for is the love that comes along with the band aid, the kiss and the feel-better hug.
He scoops me up from my knee-skin tumbles and He helps me know that its really all going to be alright. He indulges my constant asking because He loves me and then He bandages me up. In His good ways.
And God's band aids don't fall off in the pool.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Band Aids
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9 comments:
great post, so so true and a very good reminder.
GReat post (as always) although I have to admit that I was completely FREAKING OUT at the thought of your precious baby sucking on a band-aid from who knows where! UGH!
Great post - but I'm sooo glad it was her own band-aid. You drtmyhad me worried!
What a great post!!
You had me freaking out though.
But then in the end I was so saying whoa!!
You nailed it.
Found you by way of Mel's.
I love your analogies...so right on! My almost 3 year old is doing the same thing with band-aids right now. She's also taken to sticking them on whatever object in the house she thinks has a boo-boo. Yesterday she emptied an entire box and 'band-aided' my pillow. :)
What a lovely blog you have, thanks for sharing.
(I used to live in La Habra...loved O.C. It's where I met the Lord!)
Julia
I agreee with Bethanne. I was UGH at the beginning and AMEN at the end!
I have the same take on band-aids. Sometimes for blood but more often than not just for love. Good analogy.
Kate
I loved the lesson at the end. Very well written.
i was freaking out a bit at the beginning that she had someone else's band aid in her mouth - UGH! Band aids found laying around a pool just gross me out.
Love love love the analogy at the end. Great piece of writing my friend!
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