The Unjust Judge?

We went to Ohio to see our family. In March. We forgot it would still be winter there. I didn’t pack a coat and arrived in shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

Out of nowhere Ace asked me to swim. To take her to the pool. It snowed while we were there and my about-to-be-six year old is just ready to slip on her bikini and dive in. I told her she’d have to wait until we got back to Florida where we have the good sense not to have winter.

She was unconvinced and asked me maybe two or three more times while we were there. There was no pool anywhere around, y'all. I’m not sure Ohio knows about pools. 

We come home. The second we’re on the ground in Florida, can we go swimming, Mom? No we are literally still on a plane. And it’s 11pm. 

Next day. Can we swim? No baby, we have so much to do and a million loads of laundry. All our suitcases are having a staff meeting in the front room too. We can’t go to the pool. 

Next day more of the same. She just keeps asking and I keep saying, yes, I’ll take you but I can’t right now. 

She doesn’t stop. She wants her goggles. She puts her Bluey swimsuit on. She takes a shower in it. Kid is desperate at this point and I break down. Ok, let’s go. 

At the pool we share with our neighborhood, our community pool, she laughs and swims and makes a lot of happy noises in the water and I look to Him. 

The unjust judge?

Tell me. 

A woman came to him a lotta times and he wasn’t just, didn’t care for You or people, but because she kept pestering him he did what she asked. 

Yes, baby? 

Sometimes I have to ask you a lotta times for things. 

Yes. 

I thought from the story that I wore you down. 

Oh? 

But now I think it’s like Ace. 

Tell me. 

I wanted to give her what she wanted, but the suitcases were having a meeting in the walkway to the kitchen. 

Yes, they were. I saw them. 

So I couldn’t. And she kept asking. I was feeding her, ordering groceries, putting clothes away. I was taking care of her. 

You’re getting it. 

You’re not the unjust judge. 

I’m glad you know that. 

You’re our dad, taking care of us and sometimes we want to go to the pool and you think maybe we should put our suitcases away.

Yes, baby. Means a lot that you know that. Tell my people this story for me?

They get you wrong a lot?

Yeah, but they try.