How my prayers are answered...

"SHE'S COUNTRY!  FROM HER COWBOY BOOTS TO HER DOWN HOME ROOTS!  SHE'S COUNTRY!  FROM THE SONGS SHE PLAYS TO THE PRAYERS SHE PLAYS!  THAT'S THE WAY SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED!  SHE AIN'T AFRAID TO STAAAAY, COUNTRY!"

(here's the song if you ever wanna listen!) 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AZLUohDCGo&ob=av2e

*That's my 2:20pm alarm that goes off every day to remind me that I have 5-10 minutes to leave and pick my great big Kindergarten boy from school!!*

**That's also my great big Kindergarten boy's FAVORITE, I repeat, FAVORITE song of all time!**

Back to the story...
Sorry...

I slip into some flip flops and bribe my 3 year old princess to slip into hers...
We head out the door and down the steepest steps in the world...(we live on the 2nd story of an apartment building)...
Then BAM! 
The sun slaps me across the face and I instantly start sweating...(that's livin' in NC for ya!)
I get in the muggy hot nasty humid car and think for a split second how stupid I am for doing my hair!
Bribe the princess to buckle her seatbelt...
WHAT?!  How is this possible?!  MY CAR ISN'T STARTING!!  It's not even making one of those "I wanna start, but I just can't start" noises! 
The sweat gets worse!
I feel sick...
We live about 3 minutes from the school *driving*...
However, we've walked it and that takes about 20 - 30 minutes depending on how happy the princess is...*COUGH*and how out of shape the mommy is*COUGH*...
Tears are forming in my eyes because the bell rings at 2:45 and every kid is gone by 2:53...seriously!
There is NOT ONE PERSON to be found!!!! 
The husband works 25 MINUTES on a good day AWAY!!
I call him crying and telling him to leave work NOW and SPEED but don't die to the school!!! 
He questions me about leaving a light on in the car! 
*PSHT! Like I'm that absent minded! How rude!*
I of course *very energetically* tell him NO!  I'm not absent minded like that!  DUH!  How annoying!

*It's now about 2:33*

As I wipe my tears a 1990 (give or take 5 years) rusted Conversion van pulls up...into our parking lot...they are just sitting in on of the spots...
About ten seconds later some dude walks out...in complete "gangsta" apparel...Since I'm gangsta *or like to think I am* I ask him if he could jump start my car...
I almost asked if he could jump me...and that in "gangsta terminology" just isn't a good thing...
He says he doesn't know because it's not his car...
*I'm thinking, it's a van, but whatever!*
Then walks into the apartment building next to ours...
*I'm thinking what a jerk, but whatever!*
Then the van backs up and pulls in the spot next to mine.  The passenger window rolls down and this lady is CLEARLY drunk...good thing the dd was sober!!
I THINK she asked if I needed help...still not sure what she said...
The driver (an older man in his late 60's) just assumed I did and popped his hood and immediately started helping me! 
Good thing I had jumper cables!!

*It's now about 2:45*

My car started and he smiled...
Closed his hood...
Nodded his head...
Got in the van...
Rolled up the passenger window...
Gave me a crooked smile...
And was on his way...

God bless that sweet angel man!!!

I called my hubs and told him he could turn around and go back to work...
He wasn't too happy with me...
Told me to check the lights in the car...
I get annoyed and tell him for the last time NO I DID NOT LEAVE A LIGHT ON!!!  GOSH!!!
Then I hang up on him...
*then I realize that I left the headlights on because of the rain that morning*
Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada...whatever!!!!
I got to school just in time...

My great big Kindergarten boy hopped in the car and slung his bookbag onto the front seat.  I asked him how his day went...
His eyes started to swell with instant tears.
My heart started pumping overtime.
He said,
"Mom, my feelings got hurt real bad today.  At recess a kid from the other class called me a jerk.  I'm not a jerk mom, huh?  I didn't cry at school, but I wanted to.  He really hurt my feelings."
I said,
"Son, do you know him?  Were you bothering him?"
He said,
"No mom.  Me and my friend were playing and then he came to us with his friend."

*So I'm thinking I wanna beat this kid up and his parents*

Then, before I could answer with, "What a little brat!! I hope you punched him in his face and told him to shut his mouth or you would kick his butt!"...my heart softened and I replied with...

"Well, sweets, maybe he was having a bad day, ya know?!  Sometimes, we all say things that we don't mean.  Sometimes, we all have bad days, and maybe today he was having a bad day.  Maybe Heavenly Father needs you to continue to be a good example to him.  No matter what he says or does, stay strong and the Lord will bless you, I promise.  Heavenly Father will watch over you and He will make sure that your heart is okay.  Do you understand?"

He smiled and said, "Yeah, mom.  But you know what?  My best friend at school stood up for me!  He got infront of that boy and said, 'Hey!  Leave my best friend alone and don't talk to him like that!' And then the mean boy's friend tried to kick my best friend.  So then I said to the other boy, 'Hey! Don't kick my best friend!  Don't be rude!'  Isn't that what friends are for mom?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, son!  That's exactly what friends are for!  I'm so super proud of you!"

God bless that sweet best friend!!!

***********************************

Every day, I pray that the Lord will put others in my path that I can serve.  That I can be open and sensitive to what the Spirit is directing me to do.  That I can live each day to serve my Father in Heaven...with love and joy.  I've actually been praying like that for years...practically my entire life. 

Almost as if it's a scripted prayer. 
I never really thought of leaving it out of a prayer because I actually do mean it. 

I think that I'm usually thinking on a higher scale...you know, like, helping someone move into a new house, or helping someone that just had a baby, or visiting someone in the hospital...

I don't ever think of helping someone on a smaller level...like a smile, or a note, or a ride...
One morning on our way to school, my son screamed, "HEY MOM!  Look!  That boy is in my class!!" 

I look.
I see a mom that looks tired...pushing her son, that looks bright eyed and bushy tailed...in an umbrella stroller down the sidewalk...
For a moment my heart went out to her.
But I had to get homeboy to school so he wouldn't be late!!  We are out of the district and if he is late...they kick him out!
I went to the next place I could stop and turn around at. 
If I'm driving and gonna be late...then she MUST be running late too...
AND she's walking...and if she is coming from the same place I'm coming from then she MUST be OUT of the district as well, and her son could be kicked out of this school just as easily...

I jumped out and asked if I could give her a ride.

Reassured her that our boys were in the same class. 
She shamefully accepted the ride.  Grateful the whole time.  Couldn't stop thanking me! 

I was feeling pretty good about myself. 

I mean, I was pretty amazing for picking up someone less fortunate. 
I deserved to pat myself of the back!! 
I could have been a jerk and kept driving...after all, she had no clue our kids knew each other.

I dropped her off with the kids at school.  *She gets a ride from some other lady to get back home*
Kissed my son.
Gave her my number and told her to call if she needed a ride!
I'm just sweet like that, I guess!!

I was super proud of myself.

Since then, I've given her about 4 - 5 rides to school when I see her walking...Her car is in the shop...

Well, we were running about 2 minutes late this morning...
I didn't see her walking...
Got homeboy to school and headed to the apartment...
On my way home I drive east, toward the sun.  So it's super bright!
I was squinting...then I saw her.
She was borderline running.  She was definitely definitely gonna be LATE!!!
She saw my car and just locked eyes with me, almost yelling, "I NEED A RIDE!!"
So, being the beyond awesome person that I am, I stopped and turned around and gave her a ride...
She said, it's just hard for her to wake up and her son doesn't want to wake up...
I'm thinking of ways to tell her how to better mother her only kid...my gracious, it's not that hard!
I drop her off...
As I leave, I pat myself on the back for being wonderful!!

Then, all of a sudden...

My heart hurts...
I'm so ashamed of being so prideful.
I cannot believe that for one second I was so blind.
Even though I don't tell the world of my good deeds, I boast in my mind about it.
What was I thinking?
My heart was humbled...I thought of my prayers...every day...every night...
I pray to be of service.
I pray to be an example of my Savior.
At that moment I realized that I was not an answer to her prayers, but that she was an answer to mine.  That she was what I have been praying for.  She is my blessing.  She is helping me become more like Christ.  She is helping me return home.
How I've been so prideful really hurts my heart.

God bless that sweet hardworking single mommy!!!

I pray that each of us SAHM's realize the answers to our prayers...
Whether it be a man that just randomly happens to be in the right place at the right time to jump your car...
Or that little boy that thinks your son totally rocks enough to stick up for him and get kicked...
Or that sister that could have been one of our friends from our pre-earth life, that we promised we would help out in mortality...

Our prayers are truly answered in ways we don't even notice...

Let's take the time to notice them...
And to be ever grateful for them...