In honor of Meredith’s birthday today, I thought it was probably time for another Meredith Break.  

Part of being that ‘perfect’ mom when my girls were little was making sure they experienced all the goodness that Sunday School had to offer at our church.  Even at an early age Meredith was a very creative soul, so it was no surprise that one of her favorite parts of Sunday School was the craft.  Can we all agree that we love the Sunday School craft?  For about five minutes. 

Well, one Sunday when Meredith was about three years old, she made the ever-so-popular corn cob birdfeeder as the Sunday School craft.  You know that one; the one with peanut butter and birdseed.  You made one too, I’m sure. We all did. 

When we arrived home that afternoon, Meredith carefully placed her masterpiece on the toddler table in our family room before she went to take a nap.  Promises were made to hang it on one of the trees in the backyard after naptime.  Rule #1 at our house: when the babes slept, momma slept.  And, I will admit, I slept during nap time, hard!  At some point during the end of my siesta, my cute, blonde, curly-headed sweetie crawled on top of me and nestled that adorable, little face in the crook of my neck.  These sweet snuggles were suddenly interrupted by my smelling the breath of this lovely child of mine.

No sleepy, sweet toddler breath. Guess what aroma hit my nose.  That’s right.  PEANUT BUTTER!  It took my slumbering mind a minute or two to register why I would be getting a whiff of peanut butter.  My attention quickly turned to the bird feeder.  Surely not.  I jumped up to check on her special project.  Nope, no longer a birdfeeder. Instead, I found a bare corn cob, hardly worth displaying now.  Most of the peanut butter and birdseed gone.  Little did I know how tempting that illustration of feeding God’s creatures would be to a hungry toddler after nap. 

Today, Meredith turns 24.  She is still creative and crafty, and she uses those gifts as a talented cosmetologist.  And, she still loves peanut butter. From a jar, not a birdfeeder. 

Although I didn’t always see the humor in her antics as she was growing up, I can honestly say I get a chuckle when I reflect back on the moments she and her sisters were driving me crazy. Blessings in the chaos.  And, so very grateful for these gifts from the Lord.

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 (NLT)