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Sometimes God uses the small things in life to remind us of His sustenance.

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Earlier today I sent the kids to their room to clean it while I was doing dishes. Shortly after, they came running to me to report that the fish tank was spilled. Lo and behold, the reason it was spilled was that they'd knocked over the dresser it was on! All over the bed and the floor, which was covered with toys and clothes.

I didn't even bother looking for the fish. I told them it had been long enough and it was probably dead; they'd find it when they cleaned up. I went back to washing dishes.

After about 10 minutes, they brought a large plastic bin that had been sitting on the other side of the bed into the living room and dumped it on the floor to search through it. I was upset because it was full of water, and if the fish was in there, it now had no water. I sat down at the computer to check email.

After another 10 minutes, my son screamed "I found him!" and ran into the room carrying the fish in his hand. I said "Oh, it's dead" and he screamed and tossed it into the air. It landed on the step stool (which belongs in the utility room but is unaccountably in here).

As it landed, I looked, and thought I saw a gill twitch! So I screamed "It might be alive!" and ran to the kitchen, filled a glass with cool tap water, and ran back. Alec picked up Skeleton (yes, you read right) and dropped him in the glass, where....

Skeleton started swimming frantically!

He's starting to calm down now. This is really Doug's area, so I'm waiting for him to get home and set up the tank again --- and concentrating really hard on which glass I'm drinking from, since there are two sitting on the desk now! I'm waiting for the kids to sort out their toys from what was in the fish tank so I can mop up the water from the carpet. We definitely have to clean the carpet now.

This was a goldfish in a 5-gallon tank. Skeleton was won at a ring-toss game about 6 months ago. He's outlived Jasmine and Shiny Girl (both Bellas). He is currently pooping in my water glass.

This has been an awful day, but God has used a fragile little fish holding its breath in a toy bin to give me hope!


Tracey Rollison lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she unschools her two children, ages almost 6 (boy) and 3 1/2 (girl). She has a BA in Psychology from Taylor University and most of an MA in Comparative Literature, Medieval and Renaissance from Indiana University. She has never fit in anywhere except at Usborne Books, for whom she works from home as a "literacy pusher." She enjoys the works of the Inklings, historical roses (she's been known to raid cemeteries with a shovel), intelligent animals, and food. Most of all she enjoys her kids! She can be reached through her website, www.UsborneBooksUS.com.


UPDATE: Skeleton, by the way, is currently apparently in a coma due to the tap water, but Doug thinks he'll revive.