Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Thank you, Mr. Lightyear...

To say Bronson is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear might be an understatement.
If he didn't have a mother, he would watch Toy Story 1, 2 & 3 on a repetitive loop.
All.
Day.
Long.
But Buzz is special...
Maybe because they've both been to "Infinity and Beyond",
I dunno.
He was, hands-down, B's favorite birthday gift.
He's his bedtime buddy. His playtime pal.
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And no one.
I repeat
NO one
messes
with
Buzz.
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Well, in all the loving,
Buzz's back panel has popped off.
It is somewhere in the Play Loft and is yet to be found and replaced.
Which leaves him with a bum wing that occasionally swivels loose and ends up dangling.
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Well...
This is unacceptable.
In. Every. Way.
Bronson becomes hysterical.
Nearly unconsolable.
He cries so hard sometimes he has actually passed out.
Literally.
Needless to say, we try to fix Buzz quickly.
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Well, this morning on my morning rounds,
Buzz was having... issues.
And our poor Little B was not a happy guy.
He did not sleep well last night, so he was a bit... unreasonable.
Quite so, actually.
~
But I handled it well, if I do say so myself.
Patiently, I took Buzz and quickly fixed the wing.
Easily popping it back into place.
Each time quietly showing Bronson how to do it himself.
Quietly reminding him to play a bit more gently.
To be a bit more careful.
And each time I hugged and kissed and rocked that sad, sad little boy back to happy.
Reminding him to breathe.
Stroking his head and cheek,
and eventually patting him gently on the bottom and sending him back off to play.
~
This went on for an hour.
I fixed Buzz a couple dozen times.
But each time Bronson broke him,
he was equally as hysterical.
Equally as quick to run him straight over, right to me.
And equally anxious for me to fix him.
I seriously began to consider just replacing him!
If Bronson hadn't eventually worn himself out in this process,
I might have actually given in...
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The wiser "big-picture" side of me
had to talk the "helicopter-mom" side of me
out of running straight to Toys-R-Us for a new Buzz.
Several times.
At that point, it seemed a reasonable, if not necessary solution.
But Bronson finally curled up on his beloved Puppy Pillow and drifted off to sleep,
broken Buzz and all.
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{Sigh}
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And then the lesson sunk in.
How many times have I done this?
Made the same choice, over and over expecting a different result?
Hoping I could haphazardly use the same carelessness
and not experience the same heartache?
And how many times have I run, broken wing dangling,
right to my Father in Heaven,
begging...
desperate for Him to fix it...
yet again?
Wondering if He could?
If He would?
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And yet always His constant, loving reply.
Reassurance.
Consolation.
Unconditional patience.
Understanding.
Peace for my troubling soul.
He straightens the wing...
Then straightens the girl...
Then sends me back out on my way.
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Oh, Buzz...
Dear sweet, Buzz...
~
Buzz Lightyear
~
Thanks for the lesson today.
What more do you have to teach me?

13 comments:

Joey and Nettifer said...

Sara, I love you! I am so glad you are back posting! You are amazing!

Anonymous said...

Oh how I admire your sweet wisdom in finding patience and a personal lesson in a childs toy. I wish I could be more like you! Thank you for always grounding me.
XOXO

Tukuafu's said...

Yay, she's back.. she's back... woot woot.. It's a Christmas miracle! Love, love, love your blog!

Charmayne said...

Hey Sara~remember me? ;) Love that your blogging again. You guys went through so much but you always come out on top!

Love your post today. H.F. is always having to reteach me things everyday. Good thing he loves us all so much. Have a great night!

Emily said...

Very well said (and beautiful pictures)! Thanks for sharing! :)

(I found your blog while hopping from one to another.)

Anonymous said...

Sara, you sound like such a wonderful Mom. All the best to you and your family!

Kelly said...

Sara, we have the same Buzz and he has the same issue. Like you, I have often thought "Oh, I'll just go buy another one." I have never stopped to think of it this way before. Thank you for your keen insight. :)

P.S. My son got the "robot" Buzz for Christmas...he is COOL. Have you seen it? But, he's too big to cuddle.

Janae Moss said...

perfect!
I haven't checked your blog for a while because I knew you were taking a break. It was fun to catch up :) Thank you for your darling Christmas card, we loved it!
On a second note...I wish Jordan's toys could teach me something. He carries around the fridge oven combo that goes to his sister's doll house. He has been screaming like Bronson if anyone tries to take it! *any interpretation welcome*
Bronson and Jordan sound like 2 peas in a pod..must be why I keep thinking of you and needing your advice. We will talk soon!
xoxo

Eleyna Julia said...

I'm amazed at the lessons tenderly taught us amidst the day to day chaos of motherhood. Thanks for sharing.

Amy Snell said...

Hi, I've been following your blog for a while, though have only commented a few times, just the same I wanted to tell you that my two year old sounds like he could be Bronson's twin...I have watched Toy Story 1, 2 & 3 so many times I've stopped counting :) Side note, if you call Mattel and let them know what is happening they will send you a check to replace it!! Seriously, Mason's {my baby} Woody doll had a spur fall off and the paint on his hair was chipping, they sent me a check for $21 no questions asked!! Its worth a two minute call to have a working Buzz again :) Hugs, Amy

The Bender Family said...

How I love your blog! You have such a way of putting things into perspective and you are quite the storyteller. It's so great that you can find a spiritual message in simple everyday things. It makes me want to look for those opportunities too~ I have followed Bronson's story almost from the beginning. How amazing is that little man?? What a blessing to have him here with you. I'm sure you don't mind at all the number of times you have to put Buzz back together when you think you may not have been able to do it at all if things had turned out differently. SO SO SO happy for your family!

Anonymous said...

Awesome post today! Thank you for that reminder!
Stephania

Unknown said...

Loved this post...maybe because you just described my everyday life to a TEE!
You and I must have similar day to day occurances...