Girl, Interrupted

I read an article one day last week about the importace of welcoming interruptions.  The main question asked was "are you interruptable?" to which I was quickly able to answer "no, I'm not - and please don't ask again."  Well, that article has stayed in the back of my mind since that day.  Almost immediately, I became aware of just how "un-interruptable" I really am - well, for the people living under the same roof as me anyway....
As it turns out, I'm quite interruptable for everyone else, but for those living under my own roof, not so much.  Luckily, I have a small household - my husband, son, cat, and pup.  What a relief, right?  Well, when I had a minute to really think this through, I realized that of the four living beings I mentioned, two of them happen to be the two most important people in my life.  My husband, Sam, is the love of my life, the most amazing man I've ever known, and hands down - my best friend in the world.  My son needs no introduction for those of you who know him, but for those who don't - Ashton is the most special gift I've ever been given.  It's actually difficult to find words that do justice in describing how much he means to me.  Simply stated, he is a ray of God's brightest sunshine, and a six year old diamond in the rough who the world will one day know.  So, you would think I wouldn't mind being interrupted by either of them, right?  Well, I have recently discovered that while I accept interruptions from multiple outside sources, I'm less then friendly when either my husband or son is the interrupter. 

"Just wait, I'll be done in five minutes!" I said to Ashton last night after he asked me for a third time to stop working and snuggle with him.  Well, 15 minutes later, I still wasn't finished with what I was doing and Ashton still wasn't finished asking.  "I thought you said you were gonna come and snuggle with me," he whined as more time passed.  "Oh, Ashton - I'm almost finished, just give me five more minutes." I said guiltily.  I mean, let's stop for a second and ask ourselves this - what could be more important than snuggling with a child when they ask!? To put it in perspective, think about the mother who recently lost her baby or child to illness.  I imagine that she would put everything else second to snuggling with her child if given one last chance.  The request for snuggles and cuddling wouldn't be an interruption as it was for me; for the grieving mother who has the right perspective, it would be a welcome opportunity to give and receive love. I wasn't yet to this point though...

Well, another 30 minutes or so passed and Sam came home.  "Yay! It's popcorn time!" our son shouted, so we started making our Friday night helping of cheesy popcorn.  Ashton seemed to have forgotten about snuggle time, and so had I.  Well, when he had his bowl and was comfortably situated on my pillows eating, he reminded me - "mommy, you said you were going to snuggle with me and you haven't."  It was then that I became aware of just how much time had elapsed since I first promised him I would come over and snuggle - about an hour had gone by.  My emotions saturated with guilt, I instructed him to scoot over and I sat down next to him. I put my arm around him and we began to talk and laugh.  Less than five minutes passed before my own popcorn was ready and I had to go prepare it with just the right amount of cheddar.  I told him I would be back.  The night progressed and eventually it was time for bed.  As I put him to bed, he reminded me one final time "mommy, you didn't snuggle with me for very long and you said you would."  It finally sunk in.  I laid down next to him, but he was ready to sleep.  I tucked him in and I came back into my own room where I just sat and stared. 

I felt a deep conviction in my spirit and remembered what I read in last week's article.  Jesus spent his entire life being interrupted with the exception of one time.  Aside from the time He carried His own cross to be crucified, He always welcomed interruptions, especially from children.  I was instantly humbled and aware of just how much I had failed my own child's need for affection and attention.  I went back into his room, desperately wanting him to wake up and let me cuddle up next to him, but he was already out like a light.  It was too late.  I would have to wait until the next day to make it right.  I asked God to forgive me and I drifted off to sleep knowing He had.  This morning, Ashton came crawling into our bed before it was even light outside.  I was thrilled.  I pulled him close to me, wrapped my arms around him, and told him how much I loved him.  I thanked God for the new day and vowed to get it right this time.  Since starting this entry, I have happily welcomed a total of five interruptions from either just Sam or Sam, Ashton, and pup.  When Ashton came up to me, I turned completely away from the computer and hugged him close, remembering that each human interruption we have throughout the day is an opportunity to express love to the person interrupting.  There are no coincidences with God.  The person interrupting you is there for a reason and it's not just about borrowing your paper clips while you type away at a report....

For some reason, it's easy to embrace the ringing interruption of a telephone, but not the child or spouse's  finger that taps our shoulder within our own household.  It seems we should get it right within our own home before we go out and try to make it right everywhere else, so I speak from a humbled state when I say to you all - welcome the interruptions in your own life, but make sure you're welcoming the ones from inside the walls of your own home first!

Have a great day everyone!

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