Few things learned in line at Sea World

Last Thursday and Friday our family celebrated Spring Break at Sea World in San Antonio Texas. Thursday the lines were very short. Friday was a different story. As our day was winding down there was only one ride left that our family could go on, The Texas Splash Down! We got in what looked like a pretty short line.

Looks are very deceiving in these places. As we rounded the corner we saw two more huts full of zigzag lines. We thought about abandoning ship and saving the Splash Down for another trip. But a little sign to our left said that the wait was 30 minutes from the point where we were standing. What's 30 minutes? I learned that 30 minutes to a three and seven year old is a very long time! The bad news is 45 minutes later, we had barely made it through the first "line hut." The friendly sign then said we only had 20 minutes to wait. By this time I had ceased to believe the signs, BUT we had waited 45 minutes.... We couldn't abandon ship now. So we waited.

I struck up a conversation with a lady in front of us while Rob ran around the line hut with the kids. Great trials tend to bond strangers! She was a nice Hispanic lady with a strong accent. She was with two boys, age 7 and 12, and a fraidy-cat girl age 12 who couldn't decide if she was really going to ride the ride when the time came. As the line went on and on, I learned (ashamedly to my surprise) that this lady was a single mom and kindergarten teacher in El Paso. She had been a teacher for 8 years. This summer she is going to enroll in school at UTEP to get her masters. It will take 2.5 years because public schools in El Paso are year round.and she can only take classes at night. She explained that this was the last trip she will be able to take her boys on for some time. (The girl was the daughter of a friend and fellow teacher, who was waiting outside the ride with her 5 month old baby.)

This woman was very sweet. She saved my place in line when I had to take Rhett to the restroom. (Rob was trying to entertain Kolby at a look out place in the line at the time and Rhett could not wait!) I held her place when she went to check on her kids after they left to get a drink and didn't return for 25 minutes. There were two young unaccompanied boys trying to worm their way up the line. We laughed as we ribbed them about trying to cut in front of teachers and made them stand behind us!

One hour and 30 minutes later we were finally at the front of the line. We saw why the signs had been lying to us. Though there were four chutes that fed into the ride, only one was open. Therefore, the posted wait times were 3 times to short. Only one chute was open! I don't know what brainiac at Sea World made that call, it was Spring Break for Pete's sake! We loaded our family of four into a log boat and we were off.

The ride was awesome! Rhett and Kolby squealed with glee at every turn and splash. Luckily it was one of those rides that lasted longer than 30 seconds so we felt we really got our rides worth. The attendants on the ride kept laughing at Rhett as he was in the front of our boat and could hardly contain himself at every drop and high point. The boy loves rides and roller coasters!! He is terrified of the Magic Man in Hewitt, but was crushed to learn he was too little to go on the Steel Eel and The Great White! Mercy! (I was too afraid to go on The Great White and was grateful to stay behind with the kids while Rob went alone:) Anyway, I bet you can imagine the first words out of the kids mouths the minute we got off the ride.... Even after the grueling, 1.5 hour wait, Even after the tears, tantrums, and countless threats to go home if we heard one more ugly word, still their first words were"Can we do it again!!!???" As BST would say, FOR THE LOVE!

I never saw the lady from the line again. I doubt I ever will. I do not know her name. But something she said stuck with me and I have thought about it a lot since last Friday. After telling me all about her job and going back to school and the 8.5 hour one way road trip from El Paso to San Antonio for this last big trip before a 2.5 year vacation drought, she turned and asked me "What do you do?"
I was almost embarrassed to say, "I stay home with him" referring to Rhett.
"Oh you are so lucky!" she said, not in an envious way but in that more-power-to-you, good-for-you, way-to-go, nice way.
"Yes I am" I said as humbly as I could.
She pointed to Rob and said "He is the Father?"
I nodded a little stunned by the question.
"How long have you been married?"
"Nine years in August."
"He is good to you and the babies?"
Again I nodded a little stunned.
"Oh you really are so lucky and blessed. God blessed me when my husband left because he was no good to the boys. I was getting no good the more I was around him. But when he left it was all on meto be good or bad. I knew I had to do good for these boys and God has been good to us."
"You must be very strong to be able to work and go to school and raise these boys by yourself," I said.
"Oh I am never by myself, I have my friends and always God... You know? "
Again I nodded.

I am embarrassed to say that I totally misjudged that women when I first saw her. I'm glad God gave me a humbling and blessed glimpse of reality through her. . I guess one moral to this story.. And there are many here.. Is that there are good God loving people all around us, if we are open to seeing them. AND More than anything... I am very blessed. My prayer is that like this lady, my eyes will be open to the good in my life challenges. Every day, I choose to see the good or the bad.

Well, I have to get off my duff and take care of these precious kids and my wonderful messy house. Life is good, even through the waiting, the trails and the tantrums! Today I choose to enjoy the ride!