Saturday, January 28, 2012

Sometimes things fall

My daughter, who is 4, has always really liked blocks and Legos. (Her brother enjoys knocking them over. Which creates some real "Oy" moments in our household.)



Sometimes I'm amazed by her good attitude when she's building, bumps a block, and half her creation falls. There are times where she just sighs, then starts to rebuild.

And then there are other times when she'll exclaim something like, "Oh, I'll never get it right!" and throws herself on the floor and starts to cry.

Earlier this week, she had a particularly frustrating time trying to use all the blocks to build a castle. I was in the kitchen working on dinner when I heard them fall yet again. I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, McKenna called out, "Oh, no!" and then came running into the kitchen in tears. "Mommy, it fell down again!"

"McKenna, that's just part of building something," I say. "Sometimes it's gonna fall down."

After she returned to her blocks and I returned to dinner prep, I felt that nudge in my heart. Felt God saying That's right. It's part of building something. Sometimes it'll fall.


I have lots of things I'm building, and I'm guessing you do too. I'm building a good marriage. I'm building two kids, helping them to become Godly adults. I'm building a relationship with God. I'm building a career, a blog, friendships. On and on.

Sometimes I have good building days. I see progress. McKenna says thank you without being prompted, or I hear from someone who has read and enjoyed the Skylar Hoyt books.

Other days, things seem to "fall." I'm snippy with my husband. I skip my Bible reading. I think about reaching out to a friend but don't.

How fortunate I am to have God's grace and the grace of those around me. To know that even if blocks are falling this way and that, I can always learn from my mistakes, and endeavor to rebuild it better.



Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately, she discovered a passion for young adult novels and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers on her blog www.GoTeenWriters.com. To connect with Stephanie and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com.


4 comments:

Tonya said...

I like her pj's! Maybe you have a budding architect or engineer?!
This is a great lesson to remember

emii said...

Oh yes. I think this is a post everyone needs to read to be encouraged by. :)

Ooh, you took me right back to a childhood memory there -- block buildings falling down. And lego?
always so frustrating when it just didn't connect! But I did love to build things with them. :D

Stephanie Morrill said...

Tonya, thank you! And it wouldn't surprise me. My husband is an engineer and always loved blocks and Legos. McKenna's also quite the story teller, so it'll be interesting to see which path she takes!

Emii, thank you! Especially those tiny Legos - those can be tricky!

Betsy St. Amant said...

Great post ma'am. Good reminder!