Since I have been sharing my silly side in posts like this one, I thought I would share a much more serious but funny story. This morning my dear curly-headed-diva-daughter was in a snit. This is a normal state for her. There is more emotion in her small self than in half a dozen more normal kids. She was offended because I chose to change a poopy diaper and one that was overflowing with pee before I helped her get dressed. The smell of a diaper filled over night with e.coli filled urine is something that you never forget, so to my more logical adult mind that seemed a high priority. She started on her usual repertoire. "That's not fair." "You love everyone more than me." I didn't think that the smelly children would appreciate my elaborating on their current states by pointing out that if you have younger siblings who reek to high heaven, they are going to get first priority. So, on the impulse of the moment I tried to be philosophical and tell her that life isn't fair. The more I see of the world, the more I realize how I have been blessed to be born to loving parents, to be born without any medical problems, and to never be lacking food or other basics of life. This didn't go over very well, and she said, "I don't feel special anymore." Since her birthday experience of wearing a crown and being presented with gifts and special food, followed by the celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, she is experienceing a big letdown. So I gave her a very inspirational little talk about how most of the great saints we admire, like Mother Teresa, experienced a dark night of the soul and even felt that God didn't love them. All my efforts at explaining the dark night of the soul and offering up our suffering were in vain. Maybe the dark night of the soul is a little deep for a 5-year-old, in spite of my brilliant attempts. She will appreciate my theological reflections when she is a teenager, right? Don't answer that one. Anyway, I resorted to making faces at her until she couldn't resist laughing. I will have to postpone my career as a theologian until I get a more appreciative audience.
