Housebroken

This past spring my mother in-law helped me sew a simple vest and bow tie for Isaac.  She had made the girls matching dresses for Easter and he wanted one too.  We decided that a vest would be more appropriate... um 'cause he's a boy.
After doing a fairly decent job, I decided that I was ready to venture out on my own and make Ava a jumper for school.  I found a remnant of grey wool for $.99 at the Goodwill store and an easy dress pattern at Walmart.  All I needed to do now was actually make it.  How hard could it be?

First off, I had to read the entire manual for my sewing machine.  I tried to avoid this step, but apparently I needed to know my machine more intimately.  She wasn't about to let a stranger touch her bobbin winder without being properly introduced!
Then there was the pattern itself.  I measured Ava and decided what parts of the pattern I needed, but I didn't know whether to actually cut the pattern out or not.  I didn't want to ruin it. 
Next came the actual sewing.  That didn't go too bad.  I did manage to sew the left armhole shut, but it worked out okay since Ava is a righty.  The zipper was the real headache.   I decided that the instructions were useless in this particular endeavor, so I just followed my instincts.  My gut was pretty sure that Ava could just as easily pull the dress down over her head.  Problem solved.

Simple, yet sophisticated.
Just what every kindergarten kid
wants, right?

Finally, after all the hours spent standing behind that machine, ripping out stitches, and crying...there was my masterpiece!  It was adorable.  I couldn't wait to show Ava.
The following is her response, verbatim:
"Hmm.  Now maybe you could put some flowers on it or something.  Ya know, to make is look nice."

BURN!  

Although I know she didn't mean to offend me, I couldn't help but to feel a bit deflated.  All that effort was lost on the fact that she didn't understand how hard I worked.  She didn't appreciate the fact that wool would keep her warm on a cold school day.  She didn't even care that I went back and fixed the defective armhole and made the zipper work properly.  She just saw the finished product, made a few suggestions and went about her business.  

But, I can hardly hold a grudge against her.  I do it all the time too.  
God goes above and beyond to meet my needs each day.  He blesses me over and over again, he lavishes me with love.  Yet many times I don't see how hard he has worked to answer my prayers.  I don't recognize the effort he has put forth in making me content.  I don't often notice his arms wrapped around me, protecting me from all that could go wrong.  I don't acknowledge that it's his hands delivering each and every one of my blessings.  And sometimes I even have the audacity to criticize his work!

There is not a day that goes by that a "Thanks Mom", doesn't warm my heart.  I'm sure God appreciates it when I thank him too.  So, I guess my next project is to make God some heart-warmers of his own.  A little, "Thank you, Jesus," seems like a perfect place to start.