This Tooth Fairy Almost Lost Her Wings

"Watch and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told."             Habakkuk 1:5  

     Mason lost a tooth last Friday at school.  There's nothing more exciting for a seven year old than to get one of those little plastic treasure boxes that the school nurse hands out to store teeth in, plus the promise of a visit from the Tooth Fairy!  

     On my end, I had just driven to Brooklyn, NY and back for the wake and funeral of a friend's father.  Needless to say, I was exhausted, physically and emotionally.  But when Mason showed me his tooth and the treasure chest, I gave him a big hug and an envelope.  I watched him painstakingly write his note to the Tooth Fairy on the outside of the envelope, put his tooth inside it, and then seal it.  (The Tooth Fairy that visits our house has a hard time finding tiny little teeth under pillows.  So we help her out by putting them in legal sized envelopes, with loves notes written on them.)  I then put on the movie for "Family Movie Night" to distract my kids, and snuck into my bathroom to put a dollar bill beside the sink as a reminder to myself to make a visit that night.  

     Five minutes into the movie, the six hour drive each way to Brooklyn and back hit me.  I was out like a light.  I only roused myself enough to put the kids to bed when the movie was over, then fell into bed myself.  I was so tired, I never even used the bathroom, something a mom who has delivered three babies NEVER does!

     When I stepped out of the shower the next morning, I saw the dollar bill beside my sink.  My heart plummeted.  How could I have forgotten?  What was I going to do?  As I played through the different stories I could use to cover over my mistake, I prayed.  I prayed to God to help me find a way to avoid smashing the dreams and fantasies of a little boy because I was too tired to follow through.  I prayed to the Holy Spirit for the right words to keep the illusion in tact, without actually lying.  And I prayed for a miracle:  an opportunity for a "do-over" to get it right this time.

     As I carried some dirty laundry into his room as a ruse to cover over the dollar bill in my hand, I bumped right into Mason.  He greeted me with his usual chipper "Good morning Mommy!"  I hugged him, holding my breath.  He had been up for over an hour and I was sure I was busted.  But, lo and behold, there was no mention of the Tooth Fairy, or the absence of a dollar bill beneath his pillow.  I was stunned!  What seven year old forgets about the Tooth Fairy and the money coming his way?

     Before it could occur to him, I sent him downstairs on some random errand.  I picked up his pillow, grabbed the envelope, placed the dollar bill beneath the pillow, and ran to put the envelope in my "memory box" before he could see.  Just minutes later, as I was preparing breakfast, I heard, "I can't believe I forgot!" followed by the patter of his feet running up the stairs to his room.  He came running back down with the dollar bill in his hand and a big smile on his face.

     I know most people think of miracles as the big stuff:  blind people regaining their site, walking away from a terrible car crash unscathed, cancer patients getting a clean bill of health.  All of those things are phenomenal, and I pray for them all the time.  But I can't really express the gratitude I felt to God that morning for my miracle:  an opportunity to erase my mistake, a chance to get it right so that a young boy could keep his innocence, and his belief in the magic of childhood.  It's times like these that I am reminded again how amazing God is, and how lucky I am that He is a God of the little things, as well as the big.