Never say never...

I've learned my lesson and will never say never again (preceeding sentence excluded).

I realized it was time to remove "that word" from my vocabulary when I asked Don, with some urgency, to go buy a trampoline for the girls a few weekends ago. You see, years ago in my once firmly grounded maternal opinions I had said we would never own one. Yet here it is, in all of it's blue and gold glory towering over the weeds and moss grass and shrubbery in our backyard. But the girls love it and it's great exercise.

This isn't the first time I've been bitten in the behind by my use of "that word." When my boys were little I boldy proclaimed that they would never own guns, especially of the BB variety. But there I was on Alex's 13th birthday accompanying him into the store to buy a BB gun with his own money. I remember well the irony of the moment because Alex couldn't actually carry the gun out of the store since he was a minor. Instead his responsible and firearm phobic mother had to schlep the box out to the get-away car. Now both boys have BB guns, potato guns, marshmallow guns and paintball guns. Guns 'r' us!

Education is another area replete with broken promises of never. Back in Maryland where the schools were good and education was important to our politicians (snotty tone intentional), I never saw the need to homeschool or even worse **gasp** pay...for...private...school. Yet here we find ourselves in Arkansas, doing both.

I don't know what, if any, is the lesson in all of this. What I've come to realize is that the use of the word never is a bit egotistical and for the most part excludes God's divine plan for our lives. I'm sure I said I would never move away from my extended family and the east coast, yet here we are living in Little Rock. I know I said we would never have more children after Caroline was born and we took permanent measure to insure we would have the final say on the matter. But somehow God saw fit and found a way to add to our family. I'm so glad His ways are not our ways.

I do know at least one exception to the never say never rule, one that I know God finds pleasing. And that is, I will never leave Don. The marriage covenant is based on never leaving and forever cleaving to one another. What a wonderful design God had for marriage!

It almost seems as though when I say never, God's ears perk up and He smiles and thinks to Himself "we'll just have to see about that!" So instead of "never" I think "whatever" might be the better attitude...one that leaves us open to a blessed and abundant life.

Simply stated: Be careful what you say "never" to!