It's not dandruff: It's cream cheese frosting.

You know those days when you wake up and your first breath is, "oh Lord, I'm going to need a lot of grace today!"?

Yah, I have those like, every day, but yesterday was really intense.

Grace is like bugs... always there!

It was my mom's birthday.

My mom is the coolest person in the world. She deserves everyone to make her a card that says in big letters, "YOU ARE AWESOME!" She does not deserve someone to waltz into the kitchen, stick her grubby little hand into the cake, and then start eating the frosting. The cream-cheese frosting.

But that is exactly what my niece did. She ran into the kitchen, did a drive by grabbing, and then came back a few seconds later giggling.

I was so mad.

I could feel the bitterness raging through my blood. We sang happy birthday like a normal family, and then. she. chased. me. I ran screaming around the stairs, into the dining room, and back into the kitchen. I was just nearing the safety of the lockable bathroom, when smack! I ran straight into her (that part was actually pretty funny).

She had turned around and I didn't see her coming.

Then it happened. Frosting. in my hair. 

Ok... whatever.... I can take a joke and be fun sometimes, but I was still just so mad about her ruining the cake. As I was having frosting smeared on my face and infused into my (just washed!) hair, I prayed, "Lord, help me to love this little girl."

That's when I made a quick basketball pivot, stuck my own grubby little hand into the cake, and smeared it into her face. And I smeared hard.

I think it was a love smear. I mean, at least 50% love and 50% revenge. Ok, ok, it was totally a revenge smear. 

Gah! Now I was really really mad.

At myself.

How the heck am I supposed to go overseas and love people- especially people who think differently and have different values- if I can't even love someone in my own family?

She might as well have thrown humble pie in my face. Talk about needing grace. It was good to be reminded that there is no stinkin' way that I can love people perfectly. That is why grace is so sweet. Because grace isn't for good people who have it all together. It is for people like me who mess up a ton. For jerks and bums and lazy fools. And even for Christians.

Thank you Lord, for your grace.