Monday, March 25, 2013

When Our Snowmobile Tipped...




Oh, the picture of the happy family, right?
Well, the day before this was not quite the same...

And I am bummed to say we did NOT have the camera when I tipped the snowmobile over on my daughter and me!

It was a beautiful day of trail riding and sightseeing.  We even saw three deer!  And then we came to a bigger bank where the plow had pushed up the snow.  It was not a huge bump.  In fact, my husband, Mike, made it over with the snowmobile and sled.

My problem is that I had never gone over such a big one and I made the mistake of trying to go over it on an angle.  Part of me was unsure and thought that if I went straight over it, it could flip back over on us (I have since found out that would not happen as the snowmobile is quite front heavy).  SO I tried to make it less scary and "easier" and go over an an angle.

EPIC FAIL!

My daughter and I landed under the snowmobile, kind of getting thrown off to the side, yet the black rubber thing did run against her helmet.

The boys were scared by what they saw, my daughter was scared by what just happened to her and I was scared that she would never trust me on the snowmobile again.

SO I did what I thought would help:

We tried again.

But this time, I got instruction from my husband.

He told me what I needed to know in order to get over the hill.

My daughter was unsure at first, but then she accepted the fact that this was something that she needed to do and we went over the hill together the right way!  She was still a bit shaken, of course, but by the end of the trip, we had actually traded spots and she was able to drive on the straightaway on the last leg of the trip back to the cabin.

People say you learn through failures, and I really found that out.  I will never forget the lesson to go straight over the hill if you are snowmobiling.

The wonderful thing is that God not only kept us safe during this time, but He also gave us a life lesson that we could teach the kids. He does that an awful lot, doesn't He?

In the same way that I needed instruction to make it over the hill, God wants to give us that instruction in spending time with us.  He wants to encourage us and give us the wisdom that we need to parent, to write, to work, to connect, and to ultimately live out His purpose for our lives.

The second thing is to get right back up and do it again.  Get up in the morning and wash those dishes and wipe those bottoms, get into work and connect with clients and make presentations, teach those students, read those books, file those papers, but get right back into what He is calling you at this MOMent whether you are scared, unsure, or even if you are just tired and you do not feel like it.  God will give you the strength to continue on.

You can not just go on an angle and take the "easy" way out.  It rarely turns out well!

My husband actually had a unique take on the fall since He was watching it.  He said as we were flipping, he was thinking he knew that was going to happen as soon as he saw us go on an angle.  He was thinking, "Oh, I should have told them."  In the same way, he told the kids, you cannot expect that people know Christ.  But you can tell them.  If you know His love, you can share His hope and love with someone.  You might be helping them avoid the some pitfalls found in this life, as well as sharing the ultimate hope for eternal life with Jesus.

Hmm, so many lessons for one big fall.  Worth it?  Yes!  To see my children interact with the truth of God's love, law, and grace...

EPIC GIFT! 

Any fun life MOMent connections that you have had lately with your kids?  I would love to hear...


2 comments:

Jon & Robin Rees said...

Angie, this reminds me of the time I went snowmobiling with "Grandpa" Smith. We were on one of the trails not far from the cabin and there was a wide open area and Grandpa Smith went to that area off the trail. Before I knew it I was flying off the snowmobile because we went into a giant hole that he couldn't see. I was crying and shaken up and when we got back to the cabin I told my parents I didn't want to play with Grandpa Smith anymore. Glad your daughter when back on with you! :)

Angie said...

I was so happy that she "trusted" me enough to try again. I saw Grandpa Larry up there the next day and he said everyone has got to flip at least once! :)
I love connecting with memories like these.

Thank you for sharing!

Blessings!

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