What is Grace

This morning we left for school without Ariel's bookbag. We looked for it for a few minutes but it's apparently hiding somewhere again. Once, I found it in the laundry room, in a basket, under towels. How does that happen? I have stated the fact that I am not the mom with the perfect house or any real organization skills to speak of but one thing I have worked diligently to establish in this house is "The bookbags go on a hook if you aren't doing your homework!" This way we ALWAYS know where they are! I have had the kids repeat this to me many times when I might have the occasion to run into a bookbag in an inappropriate location...they don't get there by themselves....they don't walk or jump and don't decide where to "hang out". Somebody is responsible for them and nobody needs to bother anyone else's. We have the" take care of your own stuff" policy in our house....of course I am lax on socks and other articles of clothing that undoubtedly end up in front of the TV, but as a mom that kind of just comes with the territory.
But, today Ariel is at school without her bookbag.
In the car I was on my usual rant about taking responsibility for yourself and your stuff, how Mama can't think for 8 people, how I have enough to do without having to keep up with Ariel's bookbag, blah, blah, blah....
I'm sure it was somewhere around then that Ariel floated out the window, a beautiful thing about being ADD, you can just check out whenever you want (and unfortunately sometimes when you DON'T WANT) to a place where the "bluebirds fly" (gee, no wonder I identified with Dorothy as a child!) She was sitting right behind me smiling. I was a taken off guard a little...."Young lady do you hear me talking to you?!" She continued to smile and replied, not ever even hearing my question (or anything else I had been saying)
"Mom, do we get ice cream money?"
It's Friday, ice cream day at school. I usually give the girls their two quarters on the way and try to muster up a blessing of some sort to end their week with. I replied "Yes Ariel, you get your ice cream money...It was at that point I knew she would face the natural consequences for not having her bookbag. I didn't need to keep on reminding her that she had messed up. The world is plenty good at telling us we don't measure up, aren't good enough, won't ever amount to anything...that is NOT my job! I asked her if she remembered what grace was all about...she did. She told me, "Grace is when you get something good even though you don't deserve it." I have to remember that myself. I am so much slower to dish it out than gather it in.
So, once again a teachable moment is shared, and I learn the lesson.
God is not there to tongue lash us when we forget where we put something.
And his ice cream money is always there jingling in his pocket.