My Sunday Best 13: Not The Worst Ever
Here are the details so I can link up with Rosie for My Sunday Best. I won’t be cheatsy like last week and only show an adorable picture of Cee.
Pants: Dia & Co. box
Shirt: Lands’ End
Sweater: Lands’ End
Shoes: The Pink Crocs of All the Time Wearing
This picture was taken before Mass. Obviously, because I don’t look like this page from Seven Silly Eaters, which is how I looked after Mass.
(If you haven’t read Seven Silly Eaters, buy it or put it on hold at the library today. So good!)
Sometimes when things are real, real bad, David and I tell each other it’s “not the worst ever.” As if being second or lower on the “worst ever” list is somehow consoling.
Mass this week– was not the worst ever. Here’s what made it a contender:
-When Moe spent time trying to pick up a penny from the floor with his mouth.
-When someone cut the cheese in a way that echoed throughout the church.
-When someone else cut the cheese silently, but in a way that almost killed our entire pew. (What did these kids eat before Mass?!?!)
-When Moe was under our pew and knocked down the kneeler belonging to the pew behind us with a boom that outdid the aforementioned echo-y cheese cutting.
-When Moe repeatedly announced an immediate need to “powder his nose” when we were about four pews away from going up to receive Communion. Except he did not use polite language like “excusing himself” or “visiting the restroom.” At least he didn’t say he needed to drop the kids off at the pool? I guess that would have been worse? Maybe?
I love my kids. I know that going to Mass is beautiful and wonderful and holy. But that doesn’t quiet the sneaky voice in my head that says we’re just a walking advertisement for IUDs.
There you have it. One of my biggest fears. I don’t want to deter someone from choosing the path I’ve chosen, the path I love, because it’s hard and looks messy.
Moe’s shoes were on the wrong feet. Cee was upset because she was in pain. Bea wanted to nurse. Elle got huffy when I told her to keep her hands out of her mouth. We were a mess. But we were at Mass as a family.
We did not look like this.
It was more like this, except in a church and with more shushing.
Just like the invisible benefit of eating broccoli, going to Mass helps us in ways we can’t immediately see. It gives me the grace to be a better mom and wife. It gives the kids graces too. Even if none of us completely heard the whole homily.
“Loving the life behind the mess” is the tagline for my home on the internet. Seems pretty appropriate for our Mass experience this week.
For anyone who happens to see us out and about (at Mass or otherwise) at our messiest, please try to imagine how awesome this life must be in order to balance out all those hard moments.
Even with the public penny licking, this is a beautiful life. I promise.
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Oh my goodness!! I loved the way you wrote about today’s Mass experience – such vivid imagery, and I could place myself specific scenarios (like the pew – our son knocked one into someone’s shin once).
Reading this post, and seeing the picture of the book that we just bought this last week made me realize – I dislike the “picture perfect” depictions of Mass attendance with small children. It is NOT real life!!
What IS real life are the moments where we are earning some sort of sanctification, as we feel mortified by overly loud children, embarrassing moments, wet willies from one kid to another, and wrangling more than reverence. You earned graces today – and allowed others around you an opportunity to earn some, too! Awesome job!
And, I love the vibrant colors in your outfit! So, you earned graces while looking fantastic to boot!! I’d say today is a win… 😉
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Thanks, Anni! I really enjoyed reading about your Little Miss giving a wet willy at Mass this week. 🙂
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Ha, “not the worst ever” could totally be my life motto! I try really hard to smile through the kids’ antics, but these days with my wincing through Mass and the long walk to and from Communion, I feel like I just look constantly miserable! I need a sign that says, “I don’t always look like this! Mass just makes me really uncomfortable!!!”
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I try to tell myself that the more of a sacrifice it is for us to attend, the greater the graces. Not sure if that’s theologically accurate or not, but it helps me get through. 🙂
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YES- I was just somewhere the other day and had that same thought of not wanting people seeing us to be turned off to having kids. I’m always worried about, “and *that’s* why I’m not having kids”comments. Such a fine line to embrace your life and kids, buuuut also taking action when things need to be handled.
And the dreaded kneeler boom!?
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It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who has struggled with those thoughts!
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I love this post. (I also love the “not the worst ever” line to console yourself.)
Another blogger recently said she was at church but really just pacing the halls with her overtired toddler zooming around, and she happened to see a picture of Jesus on the wall. She shared how it was almost as if he was smiling down on them and saying, “I’m just glad you’re here.” I thought that was so beautiful. Even with all the messiness and loudness.
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“I’m just glad you’re here.” Oh–I needed to hear that. Thanks for passing that story along. 🙂
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