For Once Something Good Happened to Me in Wal-Mart

Soooo...I know I said I was going to write about how the daycare dilemma was solved--but it's been a busy week, with two doctor's appointments (thankfully, no one's sick) and subbing and Justin going out of town to be with his mom.

By the way, please pray for my MIL. She had to be re-hospitalized after her first chemo treatment, because she got an infection. She was also very sick and got dehydrated. She is on intravenous antibiotics and her white blood cell count has started to climb, so that's a positive.

Where did I leave off? Oh, right--my friend was bailing on keeping Mr. Blue, and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't put him in a full-time daycare because a) I don't want to because he's mah bayyyybeee and b) it's too expensive when I'm not working every day. I thought, Maybe this is God's way of telling me I'm not supposed to work at all. Maybe I just barged ahead with my idea and now I have to back up and reconsider.

Justin said, "I'm not letting you quit so fast. If need be, I'll take care of him for two days a week. You need to do this so you can meet people for the future."

I said, "Okay. I will relax." (Easier said than done.)

The next day I took Mr. Blue to the Mart of Walls (because I live so close to it, it's impossible not to shop there. Believe me, I've tried to resist) and he asked if we could look at the fish. So we did, and soon a grandmother and a small boy came up for the same purpose. I immediately recognized the boy because we know his parents from church and were in a small group with them. So I knew I needed to say hi, but I was a little shy because I didn't know the grandmother.

After commenting on how well the boys were playing together, I took a deep breath and said, "Hi, I'm Alison. I know your daughter..." and explained how we knew each other. She said, "Oh, Grandson said he knew someone he saw here!"

We started talking, and she told me she was babysitting him because he liked it better than daycare, and her daughter pays her instead of strangers, so it's a win-win situation. She used to have a home daycare in California (four years ago) but the homeowner's association prohibits that in her house now. But she loves kids and had four of her own. It didn't take long for me to tell her our situation. She said, "Well, I would be willing to watch him for you. Look how well they are getting along!"

And they do. Mr. Blue loves having a slightly older boy to emulate (most of our friends have girls) and the other boy is the youngest child, so he likes being the older, experienced one.

I told her that I would talk it over with Justin, but I had a good feeling about it. What made me extra hopeful was that she offered to let me bring him over and have a playdate so I could see how she does things. That kind of openness is a Good Thing because it means she doesn't have anything to hide. And when we went over there, the boys continued to bond and so did she and I.

So Mr. Blue has been there two times (not counting the playdate) and everything is great. She is a wonderful, loving person, yet she maintains routines and habits that keep things running smoothly. Mr. Blue is LOVING it. And that means so am I!

After I went home that day in Wal-Mart, the thought popped in my head, See? God has a network of people you haven't even met yet.

It just goes to show that things can work out wonderfully, even if it's not the way you expected.