The Bane Bane Game

This was one of the last things I saw before collapsing in the bed last night. I went to check on Soph and Will, and when I saw them holding hands asleep, I almost heard God laughing-ly whisper, "this blessing was brought to you courtesy of the condo!" So, I went downstairs, grabbed the camera, and whispered back my thanks for children that are getting to, not having to experience sharing a room.

Several hours later (though I would have sworn it was only a few minutes), I'm sleeping peacefully, with Lillie and Matt tucked in beside me, only to see two grinning roosters, loudly crowing, "Happy Bane Bane Day! Happy Bane Bane Day! Come downstairs and have your breakfast! We've played the Bane Bane Game!"

Jolted awake, I yelled at Matt to check the time. He was meant to be at the office by 9 today, and I was so upset that we'd somehow slept through our alarm. I just knew it must be somewhere in the 10s because Sophie Roden never ever gets up on her own before the 9s, and she would easily sleep until the 10s if given the chance! (In her defense, she's rarely asleep before midnight, staying up reading until all hours each night!) Will is usually up by 7:30, but he always yells from his bed, asking for his milk and his mama. No such call this morning.

Anyway, Matt sprinted to his phone and checked the time, just as an alarm started going off. It was five after 7. I can't tell you how in shock we were.

Breakfast consisted of empty bowls, packs of Annie's bunny grahams and huge mugs of milk, but while that didn't exactly fill my stomach, the fact that my children wanted to play the Bane Bane game and wanted to play it for me filled my heart to the point of overflowing! I asked Sophie why she made us breakfast, and she said, "I thought about the Bane Bane game and about how you always make me breakfast. So I thought I should make you breakfast for a change."

It's funny because I've told them about the game all week, and we've been praying that the Lord would bring just the right people and just the right circumstances into our lives. And actually, I've been hesitant to do certain things and even more hesitant to write about them because I felt like playing the game to honor this precious boy and his sweet family should involve some major act of generosity, helping someone who was truly desperate. You know, something big.

But what my children reminded me of today is that Bane was little. And they taught me that playing the Bane Bane game doesn't always need to be something big. It is just about showing kindness, giving help that is motivated from a heart that is grateful. You know, someone has made you a whole lot of breakfasts, so maybe you could make her one.

So, wrapping up this week, moving into a new one, I have a little different perspective. An empty bowl, empty packs of bunny grahams and mugs of milk are little things, but I am a woman who has had a whole lot of little things and plenty of not-so-little things given to me. It is time for me to give back, and so it seems, I have a few of my own "breakfasts" to make - for a change. I intend to set about making them, and I hope to share about them as our family plays the Bane Bane game together. And as we play, we will pray - pray for Sonya, Drason, and Livi, thanking God for the blessing of Bane's life and for the ability to give out of the abundance from which we've been given.