I’m excited to share the humor of my friend, Kim Mishler. Kim posted this on her blog, Approaching the Vintage Years,  around Father’s Day and I asked if I could share it with you. Kim’s the mom of three children from middle school to early twenties and is a blessing to those who know her! Here’s her post:

Bless Kim

by Kim Mishler, Shipshewana, IN

Back home when someone did something crazy or absent minded, we never wanted to speak ill of them so we would just say “Bless her heart” or “Bless Joe” (insert the name of your own poor sap here). That was our way of recognizing the poor old sap who screwed up one more time without actually having to say something bad about them. Just those gentle southern ways!  Well, I had one of those “Bless Kim” kind of moments!

At first these “Bless Kim” moments are disturbing to me. It only takes moments after I realize my errors that I begin to start plotting my future, such as what “facility” I will spend my final days in? And also, I wonder if I’ll be that lady pushing the grocery cart down the street with a bra over her clothes!  I spend a considerable amount of time wondering about my mental capacities and the humor they bring, which typically results in a blog!  A girl’s got to deal with this insanity somehow!

So here’s my most recent “Bless Kim” moment!

Several weeks ago someone called me at the church office where I’m a secretary wanting to book the church cabin for a graduation party.  She booked it for the June 8^th but then cancelled it because she didn’t want to do it on Father’s Day!  Well, I certainly didn’t catch it – my poor fragile mind locked in on June 8 as Father’s Day and there it stayed.

I was bummed that my husband, a baseball coach, had games all Father’s Day weekend so I even suggested we’d wait until Monday or something to have Father’s day dinner. I went to many pain-staking lengths to put just the right clip art and Father’s Day stories in the church newsletter (go ahead, say your first “Bless Kim” right here).  I was quite proud of the clip art I had chosen for the front page of the Shoreline newsletter but it didn’t actually say Father’s Day so I decided to find more and more and more.  I really did it up nicely!  Dads from all over the church should feel inspired and encouraged by the many newsletter quips and quotes!

Then I prepared the pre-service slide show.  I carefully selected an opening slide that had to do with the Father’s Day theme and put it as the first slide. I carried the theme throughout the show and even changed a slide to one of the songs we sang to one with a father and daughter! 

Wow – I was going to town that Friday on this Father’s Day business!  

Saturday had lots of unplanned events so the day got away from me, but I did plan special surprise for My Sparky (my hubby’s pet-name)!  After all, he is the world’s greatest dad and worthy to be honored!  Once that was done, I decided that after church on Sunday my daughter and I would go to Walmart and pick up things for his favorite dessert we could have when he got home Sunday night.

On Sunday morning I sent Sparky a heartfelt text message telling him what a great guy he is (yadda, yadda, yadda). I really laid the butter on thick!  Then I texted the kids and told them to make sure they honored Dad on this special day.  When Hannah woke up, I made sure she used my phone to send dad a special message!  Gee, we were getting Sparky’s day off to a fine start.

We got to church a little late and I wondered why they weren’t running the pre-service slide show.  But figured there was a glitch or something and didn’t think much of it.  I was busy visiting and talking to people after church so I didn’t have the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day – thank God for tying my tongue there!  

Hannah and I skipped Sunday School and headed to Walmart – I wanted to have everything in place for when Sparky came home. On the way to Walmart I get a text from my  oldest son informing me Father’s Day was the next weekend.

WHAT?

You’ve got to be kidding me! 

I about drove off the road! I was beside myself. 

Then, of course, once I was inside Walmart, all the posters and advertisements proclaiming Father’s Day as June 15 taunted me as they hung from the rafters! Hannah, of course, had to point out each one of them, twisting the knife a little deeper in my wound!

I texted the PowerPoint guy at church, wondering why he didn’t show the PowerPoint that morning at church – was because it said “Happy Father’s Day” on it? I imagined the leadership team sitting around scratching their heads and saying “Bless Kim” and then holding hands and praying for their poor absent minded church secretary!  

Powerpoint guy replied that he was busy making changes to the song slides and didn’t have time to show it!  I think that was definitely a Divine intervention from the Grandest Father of them all to eliminate more embarrassment for this poor lady!  I’m guessing at this point God was saying “Bless Kim” and intervened on my behalf!!  Thank you Father!  So glad He’s got my back!

This whole situation left my boys laughing like crazy, my poor husband bewildered and my daughter wondering why we come down so hard on her when she screws up!  

My pastor talked about “flawed” humans that Sunday and challenged church members not to live in our “flaws”.  I don’t know if  this was the kind of “flaws” he was talking about but “flawed” I felt nonetheless!  

Soooo, I really have nothing else to say but. “Bless Kim.”

Bless Father’s everywhere no matter what day you celebrate them and “Bless those that are sound in mind”!  It’s really a gift!

What are some of the blunders you can laugh about?