Slow Down!

Okay, so it wasn't this cow or this road. But, it did happen...I just didn't have my camera!

We were driving home from a great morning at a place called "Let's Pretend". It was a fun morning filled with pretending, creating, and friendship. I was driving my hungry and tired kiddos home for lunch and resting time. We were all a little bit whiny (even me!).

Then...right in front of my minivan stepped a huge black cow! Yes, there is a farm there with lots of cows that we drive by regularly, but NEVER have we seen a cow on this side of the pretty significant fence. How did she get out!?

Regardless of her escape method, my children were absolutely delighted. They asked if they could get out and pet her. The almost 2-year-old suddenly wanted his milk. It WAS highly entertaining, but I quickly became stressed as the cow seemed quite content.

I honked my horn, flashed my lights, yelled out the window, and inched my minivan closer. Nothing. The cow just stood there staring at us. There was no going around this thing...and I would add so much time to our journey if I turned back to go the other way.

What to do? LAUGH. And did we. My frustration quickly turned to giddiness as I listened to four of my children roll with laughter. The baby slept through it, but she smiled at the faces who told her about it later. Daddy got four renditions of it as soon as he walked in the door from work. Even though Justin could only say, "Cow Road"...his laugh told the whole story.

It was one of those unpredictable moments that I never could have scheduled. At another time in my life, it probably would have irritated me to no end. I would have only seen the inconvenience of being stopped on a country road when I had places to go. At another, less carefree time in my children's lives, it will irritate them to no end.

However, this time, thank God, it was a moment to treasure. This memory will probably fade quickly for my children as they fill their days with new experiences daily. But, I think I'll hold on to it for a while.

When the cow decided to move 3 minutes later (felt MUCH longer), I felt happier. I will not always have a minivan full of happy children (in fact, the 5-minute ride to Target later that day was a nightmare). And, the fact that they were laughing at God's creation rather than a screen was also nice.

Here's hoping God throws more "cows" in my path...and that I have the grace to recognize them as gifts instead of nuisances.