I went to my very first “Muffins with Mom” this morning. If you don’t have kids you probably don’t know that every year, right before Mother’s Day, elementary schools serve muffins and coffee to the moms. Dads get “Donuts with Dad,” which the kids secretly like more because everyone knows donuts are better than muffins. Despite this, my daughters were REALLY excited about having me there this morning.

See, I couldn’t go in the past because I worked in the mornings for YEARS. I actually DID attend a “Muffins with Mom” when Emma was in Kindergarten, but it was so long ago that she doesn’t remember. It was pretty miserable anyhow. We got there late and the line was too long to get food. Emma started to cry and Lucy, who was small and still wanted to be carried everywhere, got wiggly and fussy. I left and no one had breakfast that day so I don’t think it really counts. I went back to work full-time not long after that and my “Muffins with Mom” days were over.

Today though, was fantastic. A long table was decorated with the finest fruits and pastries Kroger had to offer. The coffee came in styrofoam cups but it was plentiful and hot. Lucy pointed out a white trellis that was decorated with plastic ivy and said, “Look how FANCY they made it for you!”

The tables were filled so we sat along the wall and balanced plates on our laps. The girls used their best manners and carried our plates away without being asked when we were done. Then we hugged and kissed and said goodbye.

“Muffins with Mom” was just as exciting as it sounds but I’m still glad that I went. See, I’ve been out of work since November which is WHY I could eat muffins this morning in the first place. Being unemployed for six straight months hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I wake up and have to give myself a locker-room pep talk to get motivated. I have a special prayer for those days that goes like this:

“Shine a light for me, Lord. Point me in the right direction and show me where to go.”

It isn’t much but it helps.

Some days though, I don’t need a prayer or a pep-talk. Some days, like today, everything seems to fall into place and I see it all with perfect clarity. I see how my family has been the salve that filled the cracks and made it all better. It’s on those days that I realize I don’t need to be pointed in any direction. I’m exactly where I need to be.