I Only Had a Day...

...to find childcare for three small children.

Two were only one day into the start of a new school year. One needed care requiring meals, snacks, a nap, and the ability to forebear a toddler. Ideally, we wanted to keep them in their environments since school's a block away, and Judsen does better sleeping in his own room.

Yep.

Peace talks might require less organization than that. And I had a mere day to do it.

The resulting "plan" brings this Scripture to mind:

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Proverbs 17:17

And this sentiment, too:

"My friends are my estate. Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them. They tell me those who were poor early have different views of gold. I don't know how that is. God is not so wary as we, else He would give us no friends, lest we forget Him."
- Emily Dickinson

So I placed four calls.

Then I was done.

In a detailed but expertly-greased hub of cogs and levers, all three children were balanced, loved, distracted, and tended. A friend, neighbor, and fellow mom from school took Grace and Elijah home from school on Friday and Monday until Craig's mom got off from work. Mom then took over for the weekend until Bee stepped in. Now she had a tough job: she spent Sunday and Monday night, feeding them, tucking them in, waking them, and shuttling them to school and Zee's house - who added Judsen to her flock of five...yes, 5!...for 2 days whole.

Upon our arrival in Iowa, my stepdad asked, "Who's taking care of the kids?" After giving him the skinny, he replied, "Wow. Now that's some kind of friends, isn't it?"

Indeed.

Thank you, Ashley, Mom, Zee, Bee, and all your families who went into the deep end to help keep our family afloat: you demonstrated true friendship, and I am full of thanks.

I can count on you and know you are more than empty words.
You came to the rescue

...when I only had a day.