Happy All Saints' Day!

We attended our neighborhood block party last night, as we have for as long as we've lived here. This year's theme was "When the Saints Go Marching In" and we were tasked to dress as a saint or a person from the Bible. Our community is divided into smaller "support groups" (I hardly mention this because the term support group has a kind of medicinal ring to it sometimes but ours is more like a tight-knit Bible study group) and this year they asked entire support groups to come dressed up.

As we've just been given our own support group, this seemed a rather daunting task. It's tough enough to come up with saint costumes for four kids, but an entire group that includes a newborn on up through some retired folks seemed near impossible.

I was driving down the road one evening asking God to help me when it came to me.

Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day He rested and drew breath."

That's it! We can all come to the party in our pj's. No sewing, buying or discomfort involved. Brilliant! Easiest, most comfortable costumes ever. The group agreed, Mackenzie drew up some name tags and we were ready to go.

 

My kids had very definite ideas about how I should dress. "Mama, you wear your hair down to sleep not in a ponytail," said one son.

"Yes, you're right, but this makes it look more like I'm getting ready for bed."

"Mama, you have to wear your glasses!" directed Mackenzie. "That's going to totally make you look ready for bed."

Yikes. I rarely wear my glasses in public. I got new ones last year to try to at least have something stylish in case of extreme situations, but it just never seems to be the right moment "Okay," I said trying to get into their excitement. Out came the contacts. The hair was pulled into a disheveled ponytail and the flannel pants and fuzzy flip-flops went on. I gave myself a once over and took a deep breath.

Yes, this is what I look like in the privacy of my own home late at night. "Let's go kids," I commissioned.

"But Mama," the last boy noted, "you need to take your make-up off too. You never wear make-up to bed."

"Son, that is very true but I've got to draw the line somewhere," is what I told him as we walked into the light…outside…in public.