Chicken Soup for the Soul is devoted to mothers

Chicken Soup for the Soul has given us another exclusive excerpt, this time from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Mothers.

This week’s exclusive Chicken Soup for the Soulexplores the lighter side of life and is entitled Why Didn’t I Think of That? and comes from author Leah Clancy.

The famous book series’ latest, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Mothers is currently available.

Chicken Soup for the Soul exclusive

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
-Matthew 21:22

When my oldest daughter, Kaylee, was five, my three younger children attended a “Mom’s Day Out” program at our church.

This allowed Kaylee and me to spend two whole mornings a week together — just the two of us. Yellow buses, lunchboxes, and Kaylee’s first pair of school shoes were just around the corner, so I planned our days carefully. I hoped to show Kaylee God’s presence in her life before I had to send her off to kindergarten. We filled our time with walks through trees ablaze in fall colors. We took trips to the zoo, where we discovered new facts about God’s creation. We even handed out homemade valentines at a nursing home.

Our house was thirty miles from town, on three lush acres, situated atop a hill overlooking the entire county. Kaylee and I spent many of our mornings enjoying that view from the rocking chairs on our wraparound porch. After one morning, we were getting ready to pick up my younger kids from “Mom’s Day Out” when I realized my keys were missing. I usually kept my keys in my van in the garage because keeping keys inside the house was way too risky. My younger boys, like the raccoons in our woods, were fascinated with shiny objects. I had previously rescued my keys from a heater vent, a sandbox, and even the dreaded toilet. Since my keys were not in the van, I assumed my boys had discovered them.

Kaylee and I looked everywhere, but my keys were officially lost. Panic-stricken, I called our church and told them I was going to be late picking up the kids. After I got off the phone, possible solutions raced through my mind. My husband was out of town, so he was no help. I didn’t have neighbors near enough to give us a ride. Even if I did, I couldn’t ask them to drive half an hour each way. I was considering a taxi when Kaylee’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Mama, the only thing left to do is pray.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?” I thought to myself.

We held hands, and she prayed six simple words: “Dear God, please fix this. Amen.”

Read on for more Chicken Soup for the Soul exclusives

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Matters
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive