LEST WE FORGET?

I could tell by the tone of my daughter Breyona’s voice that it is beginning to bother her more and more that people at her school are comparing her to her sister Shay. “You would never know that they were sisters or they are totally opposite,” they say to or in front of her. Yes they are different, but similar…. Shay is more like me, she WILL be seen and Bree is more reserve, like her dad, often times trying NOT to be seen. The big sister in Bree wants to stand in defense of her little sister yet the child in her wants to respect the adults and her classmates who make these comments that apparently are becoming hurtful. It’s true that Shay has had her share of challenges as it relates to adjusting to her new school; she’s been thrust into a “middle school” environment with an elementary school mentality going from milk to solid foods almost overnight and it’s difficult for her to swallow. On occasion, during my visits to help Shay stay on task I, too, have encountered communication and comparisons between the lion (Shay) and the lamb (Bree). Unfortunately this morning at 1:44 a.m. God thought that He should remind me that they are two yet one. “Don’t you remember all of the times that you’ve had to go to Breyona’s school to put her in check,” He asked? Yeah God, but did we have to go down this road at 2 in the morning? Well I guess it’s true that His ways are not my ways…..As I tossed and turned I began to have flashbacks of, “Ms. Jackson, can I speak to you for a minute” when Bree was in her 3 yr old class. What flooded my mind was that it seemed like every day there was a “report.” As I write this I can’t help but laugh when I remember the look on her teacher’s face one day when I picked her up from school. Apparently during lunch he discovered that while he was away washing his hands Bree swiped his sandwich out of his bag and was eating it when he returned. Kindergarten and a new school were no different; she was into everything. Fortunately this school was closer and my pop up visits to chat with the teacher and snatch her up was easier. By the second round of kindergarten she was in a charter school and things weren’t as bad or maybe my memory is cloudy because it’s the wee morning hours but yonder (as the old folks say) comes 1st and 2nd grade – can somebody say “demon.” I don’t know what jumped into that child but I remember the phone calls and just like now a chill runs up my spine when I notice the familiar number that often comes up on my caller ID. This particular time, in 2nd grade, we’d decided that on Wednesdays when my husband was off he would be charged with running up to the school and handling her should a problem arise. Unfortunately one Wednesday he was nowhere to be found which meant I was the recipient of the dreaded phone call. In order to keep my promise to her meant I had to drive from West End to Union City and yes I was angry by the time I arrived at the school – long story short she was checked out, was back in school for lunch and I was on my way back to work all in a 45 minute time span. Problem solved? Yeah right! Fast forward - Here comes 6th grade and the first year of her “middle school” environment that her sister is now experiencing. Well most of you receiving this know how the story with Breyona ended and with the exception of a few bumps in the road since then she is on target and heading in the right direction. So at 2:04 a.m. God said, “Lest we forget? It’s not that Shay isn’t getting it; it’s just not her time.” Daily He keeps reminding me that Shay, like myself and all of us are STILL a work in progress; He gives us new mercies every day. Perfection? Naw, He walked on water so we wouldn’t have to. As their mommy I see them walking in their dream with nothing holding them back. With Shay when I look at her I see a future surrounded by soooo much great potential; she’s going to surprise a lot of people – that’s my Diddy (Sean Combs), my Oprah, my diamond in the rough. At 2:11 a.m. God said, “Lest we forget? Yes, she and Breyona are more alike than others will ever know.

So to those of you that are dealing with your lion and wondering why they are not like your lamb God says that they are children and “when you are a child you speak, think, and act as a child….” Lest we forget?

Thanks God, I got the message, its 3:01 a.m. can I go to sleep now?

~Stay Prayed Up! CLICK ON THE LINK