Love for pinch-hitters

Today I needed to call in some back-up. It's Halloween Eve and a while ago, there was not a jack-o-lantern in sight. I'm always the designated carver, and I actually love it, especially carving my own couple guys. But honestly, this year, I just didn't have it in me. There has been at least one sick person in my house for the last ten days straight and I'm tired. Also, I'm not great at letting go of the expectations that I put on myself, so sometimes, when I see a chance, I challenge myself to just say No. That's the long and the short of it.

But yesterday, at the mention of letting go of pumpkin carving for one year, my daughter emotionally declared "I will hate Halloween if we can't carve pumpkins!" To which I replied, "Well, what about the loads of free candy. How will you feel about that part?" Because I know she loves candy more than anything and puh-lease.

So daddy volunteered to be the designated carver approximately three hours before being taken under by some sudden illness. No joke. I then called in the pinch-hitters, a.k.a. Nana and Pops.

As usual, they stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. Ninety minutes of blessing my children and letting me off the hook was exactly what I needed. Check out my cool dad. (Do your parents still wear tee-shirts from your college, and let the grandkids put stickers on them? Cute.)

My son is actually not wearing vampire teeth; he is just missing all the top middle ones. That's a funny joke, though, God. How seasonal.

My daughter's pumpkin is carved according to a little formula we learned at church one year. It's something about salvation, being a light, and something else about love. If I weren't so tired, I'd try to find it because it was a really cute idea.

I hope and pray you have some pinch-hitters in your life, and that you remember to call on them when you need. Because life as a mom - wait, life as a person - can be exhausting. And having loving support available to back you up when you need it most is truly a gift.

Thanks, mom and dad, for always stepping up to the plate.