Paint, Sharpies, and a Lot of Love

This morning I woke up to this:

Green paint and every color of Sharpie. Take a good long look so you can get a good idea of whats going on. 

Before I had the chance to react I heard a voice of reason in my head, one I have grown accustom to and know to trust, “ Now Amber,” it said,” You have two choices here: you can either yell at and punish Isabelle, hold a grudge about it, and then clean it up while allowing this to ruin both of your day , OR you can laugh about it, give her a hug, take a picture, and then clean it up but still have a good day. “

I did not even have to think about it. I chose to have a good day. 

The picture was taken before we laughed, hence Isabelle's frightened look, she was waiting for the reaction. 

 It took about an hour of scrubbing to get to a point where no more paint was coming out. During that hour I had time to think.

First about funny captions for the picture:

-This moment brought to you by Isabelle Grace Hill and KWC non-washable paint

-"Your welcome"

-leaving paint and sharpies out... you asked for this mom

-"It wasn't me!"

-"I overheard you telling Grandma that you were bored, so I thought I would give you something to do"

-"don't ask me, I just woke up too"

Then about how my choice was affecting my home:

I could hear Isabelle in the shower laughing and singing, after her shower she watched me clean for a bit, and then played with some toys. Had I yelled, I probably would not have gotten to hear that singing or watch how cute she was when she played by herself. Those were precious moments I could have missed out on. 

I was also in a good mood. Just scrubbing and thinking to myself. I was not at all upset or mad, I was happy and peaceful. 

Branden did not have to worry about me having a horrible day while he was at work

I started to feel proud of myself for listening to quiet promptings and not allowing the situation to control the atmosphere for the rest of the day.That led me to remembering a story. 

Then about the example my mom set for me: 

When I was about 4 years old my mom and I went to a furniture store. We would usually get separated in stores, and this time was no exception, but I was used to it by now. Even then, I loved looking at beautiful wood work. I remember strolling around admiring the pieces of art that surround me when suddenly, I saw it: the holy grail of furniture store exploring for toddlers. It was tall and beautiful -- a rotating corner cabinet with amazing glass doors. I reacted how any curious toddler who loved to spin would, I climbed inside and tried to rotate myself around and around. It would have been fun, except that the cabinet was raised off the ground by an unstable platform. Consequently,  just as the fun began, it ended--with a loud and painful crash. Glass was everywhere, including in my hands. My first instinct was to run and hide, maybe no one would notice, but it was too late; I had been discovered. I expected nothing but yelling from my mom and the store owner. I braced for impact but instead what I got was a hug from a teary eyed mother. I remember feeling so much love and understanding. They knew it was an accident. My mom was not worried about the cabinet or the store owner, she only wanted me to be okay. The store owner gave me a free candy bar (probably fearing a law suit). I did not understand why my mother had been so forgiving, but now I do, especially after this morning. We are on this earth to learn to be more like our Heavenly Father, and the thing he is, more than anything else, I think, is Love. Being a mother has given me ample opportunity to learn how to love despite paint on the carpet, poop all over the floor and bed, or many sleepless nights.  

I am grateful to have Isabelle, and I am glad that most of the paint was on the tile ;)

if you think of any other funny captions for the picture, comment below, I would love to read them ;)