The Tribe...the story of a Disastrous Day that Wasn't

This will probably come out as a hot mess, so before I begin, I want to list a few main ideas, before I start spewing crazy details...you know, like I teach my second graders.

1.  God wanted me to learn a little something yesterday about letting go.
2.  God gave me a pretty fantastic Tribe to help me when I can't do life alone.
3.  My Tribe is awesome, if you don't have one yet, you need to acquire one...stat.

Yesterday started out ordinary, as most disastrous days do.  Todd had a *big*, *important* meeting at work, so he got up early and was out the door before I was even dressed for the day.  So, I enjoyed the quiet of the house as I got up, loaded the CAR, and got my sweet little Allie-bear up and dressed for the day.  Todd, meanwhile, had stopped to put gas in the CAR, and get some Mountain Dew on the way to work (don't worry, he mixed it with orange juice, which makes it not quite so atrocious to drink the morning, right??? Mmmm, I don't think so either).  Then with Allie on my hip, at the latest possible time I ever leave for work, I strolled out to the garage to get Allie in her CARseat...Wait...where the heck is the car seat????  OH.MY.GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The car seat was still in Todd's car.  We had taken his car out the night before and never switched the car seat back.  My heart instantly started galloping in my chest as I started to mentally begin planning the speech I would give my boss on why  he shouldn't fire me even though I'd left a whole room full of second graders waiting all alone.

I called Todd, and I'd like to say that I was calm, poised, and sweet to my darling husband on the phone...but that'd be a bald-faced lie, folks.  I think my eyes started glowing red and my head probably spun all the way around as I told him that he better break the sound barrier getting my carseat back to me.  Oh, but wait, the *big*, *important* meeting started in like, half an hour.  GAH!  At this point I had a true mental break down.  And then somewhere in the small, still quiet, God whispered, "You can't do this alone."  Truth. 

So I got off the phone with Todd, and called my best friend.  Enter the Tribe.  Do you have a Tribe?  The Tribe is your Girls.  These are the Women you call when the bottom drops out.  These are the Women who take care of your sick kids, who stick by you through the Terrible Awful that life sometimes hands out.  They come to your house in pajamas, with groceries, and chocolate, whatever the situation calls for.  They hold your hand when you are pretty sure life is over.  There only need a couple.  It might include your best friend, your sister, your  mom.  Friday morning, I called my best friend, Stephanie.  Because she's my in my Tribe for sure. 

 I needed someone with a clearer head, since mine was clouded in a red haze of "holycrowi'mfreakingtheheckingoutrightnowandi'mtotallygonnagetmyselffiredtodayandhowdoesmyhusbandnotgetthis".  I poured out the story in one frantic breath, and she immediately went into problem solving Tribe mode.  She called her sister-in-law, who just moved like, five minutes away, who has a little one right about Allie's age, who had just moved him out of his peanut seat and into a big boy car seat.  (I know, too perfect, right?  Thanks, God)  This chick graciously climed up to her attic to get the seat, raced it to my house, and helped me get it into my car...all BEFORE getting herself to work and HER lovie boy to day care.  (Welcome to the Tribe, sister, your welcome pack is in the mail).  Can you believe this? 

I called one of my girls at work, another working momma.  Because at work, the mommas got to stick together.  Girl mobilized the troops in fine style.  She found someone to open up my room, recruited another to watch my room, in case I really didn't make it quite on time.  God was quietly nudging me, saying, "See, don't try to do this alone."  Okay, God, okay.

So now, we're on our way to Steph's (also my daycare provider, because, seriously, who better to leave Allie with than my Tribe, right?) which, unfortunately is a ways from my house and then a ways back to school.  I was on the road, but I was still going to be late.  "You can't do it alone," God whispered again.  Sigh...okay God, I gotcha.  I put in another frantic phone call.  Steph's mom *just so happened* to be at her house that day because she was in town doing some work.  So her mom raced to meet me at a centrally located grocery store to swap Allie into her car.  After some very creative moves by me in order to get the borrowed car seat and base into a two door car, I was back on my way.  Get in my Tribe, Steph's mom.  Allie loves having extra Grandmas. 

I was ON TIME TO WORK, folks.  I whipped into the parking lot, laughed at how many parents dropping off their kids had already beat me to school, grabbed my crock pot (because, oh yeah, it was also Souper Bowl day, and I  had a crock pot of chili with me this whole time).  And basically, that's it.  I was seriously touched to see one co-worker in the office when I walked in, getting the key to my room, another down at my room waiting to get stuff ready for my kiddos.  People kept sticking their heads in my door to make sure I was there and that I was okay.  I mean, seriously!!! 


The rest of my day was great.  People liked my chili, my second graders were sweet, funny, and hard working, as per us, and after work?  I ended the day with love from some of my favorite people in the world.  We did dinner AND Orangeleaf frozen yogurt with the whole Walroth/Gessner Tribe, Mommas, kiddos, and Daddies.  I mean, God used my Tribe to turn my Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Day, into a pretty cool, awesome, very cool day. 

So, I guess the moral of the story is:
1)  God's got this.  I need to give it up because HE can take a totally hopeless situation and turn it into a day that ends with me splitting Mango frozen yogurt with my Allie-girl.
2)  A girl has GOT to have a Tribe.  Got to.  Period.  Don't try life without it.
3)  Thanks God for my Tribe.