Soooooo, for one reason or another, Trey’s treatment has been postponed for at least one week.  However, this post is not about that.  God is in charge, He knows what He is doing.  This post is about Bella.  When she heard the news she immediately went upstairs sobbing.  She was so looking forward toward having some “daddy alone” time.  Side note: imagine Rachel and what she felt like when Bella looked at her and said, “Wait…you guys AREN’T leaving?” and broke into tears.  So I followed her upstairs.

What I found in her room was a red swollen faced tear stained little girl clinging to her mound of stuffed animals.  I rubbed her leg a little, told her it was ok to be sad, and that I was a little disappointed too.  I then asked her if I could tell her a story.  She said yes.  It went something like this.

There was once a little girl who was going to go to her favorite bakery to get her favorite cookie.  However, there was a sign on the door that said, “Store closed, please come back next week.”  The little girl was very sad.  Oh, how she wanted that cookie.  She could practically taste it.  However, she waited, made it through the week  and went back to get her cookie.  She got her cookie, but oh so much more.

When she walked through the door of the bakery she saw a huge cake as tall as the little girl!  It was adorned all over with her favorite cookies!  The owner of the store told her that the entire cake was for her!  He then explained that he wanted to teach her how to make the very special cake (including her favorite cookies!).  She was so excited.

She went home and started her very own YouTube channel.  She would put out episode after episode explaining and teaching other little girls how to make the cake and cookies.  Of course, she left a couple of the special ingredients and special steps out so that they couldn’t make cookies and cakes just as good as hers, but close enough to enjoy.

That little girl watched the hits on her YouTube channel grow and grow and grow.  She became super famous and rich and was able to help millions of little girls who were sad to have better lives and get through tough times.

I then told her of a different little girl.  This one was headed off to her favorite restaurant to get her super special hamburger.  Well, the restaurant was closed and there was a sign on the window.  This little girl picked up a brick and threw it through the window.  When she got home she threw another brick through her own window and yelled, “I’m not going through the door anymore, I’m going my way!”  When she did she got badly cut.  She wasn’t able to do anything fun for many days.  She didn’t know that her favorite restaurant was going to make her a great big delicious steak the next time she came in.  Now, she wasn’t even allowed to even go inside.

Being a smart girl, Bella immediately understood the first story.  I told her that very often, if not all the time, when God allows “bad” things to happen, He’s got not only good things but great things ahead of us.  I explained that the second girl let her sadness ruin any chance of anything good happening and it not only hurt others but herself as well.

I told her again that it was ok to be sad and that I was sad too.  I asked her to list the number of good to great things that have happened to us since Trey was diagnosed.  Granted we would rather not have Trey have cancer but hopefully we are learning that God is in control.

I then, out of parental contractual obligation, gave her the typical, “we don’t know what might have happened” speech.  I told her that maybe a huge oil truck was going to run them off of the road and God was saying, “Wait!  Don’t go!”  I later told Joe (who really wasn’t sad at all) that a giant gorilla might have escaped from the zoo and was going to beat Rachel WITH Trey in the hotel parking lot and God was keeping them home for that reason.  He loved that one.

I was amazed at how well Bella received the story.  We agreed to not tell Joe and Trey what “waiting for cake” means.  Yes, I’ve already told her that she was throwing bricks (when she got mad and squirted Joe with the hose).  Now, I’ve got one job.

What the crap “cake” can I come up with (or will God come up with and bless me with) in the next week or two?  I kind of  set myself up for that…