TE had back-to-back specialty appointments today. Thankfully they were in the same building. But 2+ hours is a long time - a really long time - for a toddler in waiting rooms and exam rooms. Let’s just say we made our presence known.
We arrived at the second appointment, which I was totally (naively) expecting to be super fast. We had one major meltdown in the first exam room, got it together, and the nurse came back to take us to the second room for the exam with the doctor. Well, that’s what I thought. She was there to dilate T’s eyes after which we would go to a dark waiting room for a half hour.
Oh a half hour in a dark room with an already tired and cranky toddler? Super great. This is great.
What did I have in the diaper bag for such a time as this? I had diapers. And wipes. And a cup she had already drained dry. Two other moms were there with their children, who I have to say were intimidatingly quiet.
The selection of books in this dark waiting room was sad. After the second time trying to make a nonfiction mostly-text book about mountains interesting to a busy 2 year old, I started talking with the mom nearest us. Her daughter was in a wheelchair and they were clearly pros at medical waiting rooms. She dug in her bag and suggested to her daughter that they share a book with us to read.
It was so kind, and then I looked at it and discovered it was a pop-up board book of the story of Jesus. I thanked her- and told her how wonderful it was to be handed a story about Jesus. As I read that book to T, the other mom read/sang a board book with the lyrics of Jesus Loves Me.
And that dark room, with two moms fighting different fights for their children, and these two little girls with very different stories and very different roads ahead of them and very unique challenges, seemed to be momentarily filled with the light of our Lord.
They are both so loved. They are both so valuable. Both woven together by God. He sees them. He knows them. He is with us.
Jesus loves me this I know For the Bible tells me so Little ones to Him belong They are weak, but He is strong.
He sees. He knows.
And maybe we should all have a board book about Jesus in our diaper bags.