It's possible!!

Ok. I must confess one of my many horrible mother moments to tell this story. At the Christmas program for Sunday School, my children were the ones running up part way through the first song. Of two songs. Completely my fault. Although in my partial defense, they started a little early. Still. Way to go me. Nice.

Yesterday the girls were singing again for Palm Sunday. Ain't no way I was walking down that path again. Captain America was running sound board so he headed off to church at 7:10 a.m. like any good Captain America would do. It was all on me again.

I'd checked with the other moms on Facebook to see what time they were supposed to be there (our family missed the week before). 9:20. Or maybe that's what they told me, because they know me? I aimed to leave the house at 8:45, because I had to stop and get gas and then drive 20 minutes to Bigger Lake Wobegon.

Guess what? We actually left the house at 8:45. I put gas in the car. I drove uneventfully to church. It was like angels of promptness surrounded us yesterday morning. We parked, I hustled the girls inside, where the teachers were just turning on the lights. Only a few of them were even there. To drive the point home, I had this conversation with Ella.

E: They're all upstairs!!
Me: No, honey, they're not.
E: But where is everyone?? They're UPSTAIRS!
Me: No, no, we're early.
E: What?
Me: Early. No one else is here yet. We're here before we need to be.
E: So we're not late?
Me: No, we're early.
E: Oh, ok. Early. {to the teacher at the door} We're early today! We're the first ones!

Yes, early. Teachers and moms were patting me on the back. "Good for you, Sarah, you did it!" Yes I did! And it only took 5 1/2 years and hundreds of angels of promptness to make it happen.

My first reaction is to want to feel insulted by the response. But I've really earned it. I am chronically late. Like many a busy mom, I am forever doing "one more super quick thing" and never accounting for the time it takes to convince two children to do what I'm asking them to do without whining or hostage-like negotiations. And I truly believe these particular teachers & moms were rejoicing in my triumph with me. At one time or another, they've probably been in the same spot.

And it did feel like a triumph. I was beginning to think it was impossible for me to be on time. Like I needed to move to a country where time is more of a suggestion or a vague notion (maybe one that is also warm -- FYI, Minnesota, it's Spring). But standing there in the Sunday School hallway, I wanted to jump up and down and sing the Dora song, "We did it. We did it! We DID IT -- HOORAY!!" I didn't. Maybe a little in my head.

Some people wouldn't understand this level of fanfare for being early to one activity. But motherhood is about one step at a time. One checkmark on the to-do list. One little battle. So many are lost, I need to rejoice in what is won no matter how small.

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I am entering this post in a writing contest on Scribbit. The deadline is April 19, so if you'd like to write something on a "mom" topic, you've got plenty of time to enter.