Patience is a Virtue

There is a story behind the title of my blog. Eleven years ago I had just finished my freshman year of college and was home for the summer to make money. I worked with disabled children in a special summer program. It was a lot of fun. I could handle the tantrums, outrages, violence, bodily fluid without batting an eye. I never lost my temper. There was a reason for my boundless patience--all those children went home at four o'clock. Then I went home where I had a nice home-cooked meal that my mom had prepared for me, from groceries she had bought. Then I did whatever I wanted until I crawled into the bed my mom had made for me, and slept the entire night without getting up for anyone. Ahhh, what a glorious life.

However, to get to that glorious life I had to drive home after work. I commuted from Meridian into Emmett everyday. The Emmett highway is one lane in each direction. After spending a long day being drooled on, I would find my day lengthened by stupid drivers. Drivers unaware of how to correctly operate a gas pedal and farmers driving their tractors or trailers loaded with hay would often have 10-20 cars backed up behind them. I would find myself yelling, not casually suggesting, but yelling at laryngitis strength, "Pass him!!! Pass him already!!! What are you waiting for!?!" In one such heated moment, a song popped into my head. Yes, I became a songwriter with this original tune: "Patience is a virtue. I can be more patient." (There is also the extended re-mix edition. But very few have been lucky enough to hear that version.) I began singing this song, and it calmed me down. So I sang it pretty much everyday as I was driving home from work. My mantra of peace. Then the next year, my sister Riki, got hired on with me. As we carpooled back home, and I began singing my song, she started laughing hysterically. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Yep, she was singing it, too before the summer was over. (And apparently she also sang it over the pulpit in a talk once--but that's another story.)

Now Chris sings the song. And Parker. And McKay. And Deacon. And the words even reside in my home. Thank you Riki for the artwork you sent me on my birthday this year. (See picture.)

So today after a very long stressful day, my kids were fighting in the van. I instinctively yelled at them to knock it off before every toy they owned became mine, TV became a thing of the past, and I wrote Santa a letter telling him not to come this year. They quieted under the wrath of Mighty Mom, and I began singing "Patience is a Virtue." From the far back seat of the van, Parker's voice broke the child quiet. Muttering to himself, I heard him say, "It's about time."