Days 2 and 3

Well, I know y'all are dying to know how it's going with Joshua this week.

I almost didn't send Joshua to Therapeutic Rec (TR) today. Honestly, I went back and forth on it. I was trying to figure out if it was just that I didn't want to take him, or if I was trying to convince myself that he wouldn't really miss anything today. They are going swimming today, but he can do that here at home.

What I was really worried about was the drama.

Drama among the FRIENDS is going to be the death of me.

Because as much as I tell myself to not.get.involved. and to just let.it.go...it's hard. Mentally exhausting.

Yesterday, Joshua said there was drama between Julia and Jenni.

Now, you have to know that JENNI has been Joshua's girlfriend for the past 10 years. Julia is an older FRIEND, and she and Joshua are, in his mind, just friends.

And you have to know that Joshua and Jenni have gone to Camp Barnabas together (the same week) for the past 10 years.

And you need to know that Jenni did not get signed up in time and that week filled up...and she didn't get to go.

But Julia did.

And there-in lies the drama.

Are you getting the picture?

Because Jenni was so sad, and Joshua was sad that she couldn't go with him to Camp. BUT...enter Julia, who was THRILLED to have a week there with her friends...AND JOSHUA.

A Joshua without Jenni.

And remember that Julia did ask him to be her "date" to the dance one night...the night that he had TWO dates...and, in Joshua's own words, she, "hogged him all night so that he couldn't dance with anyone else."

So, yesterday, Julia comes to TR with a bunch of stuff from Camp...to show everyone.

Mmmmmm-mmmmm....she did.

She brought a t-shirt and some other Camp merch that she bought in the Shirt Shack. She brought the craft that they made during the week. Annnnnnd she brought her "picture book," that was full of photos from her week at Camp. And she laid it all out in front of God and e'erybody...AND JENNI...and it seemed like it was kind of her silent way of saying, "take THIS, home-girl."

Because, yes...the FRIENDS are very, very smart. They are capable of compassion, tenderness and love. They are also capable of jealousy, manipulation and even...at times...a teensy-tiny amount of pay-back.

I said, "Joshua, were you in her picture book?" He said, "yes, there were pictures of her and me from the dance."

Oh no she di 'int.

Oh yes, she did.

And then it all hit the fan. Jenni was crushed, and Julia was beaming...and Joshua felt stuck in the middle.

Joshua told Clark about it all the way home, and then he told me about it last night. He said, "I told Julia that I"m going to try and make it right." I said, "it's not your place to make it right." Joshua said, "well, I don't trust Julia and Jenni to make it right." Me: "So? if they don't make it right, that's their problem...not yours. You weren't even involved." Joshua, "I told them that I will make it right...I will take all the blame."

My head about blew off.

This is how they are...the FRIENDS. They have drama and are totally unaware of the consequences. Sometimes feelings are hurt, and they try to make it right. And they jump in to defend...not one person...but BOTH of them, or ALL of them...and they will go so far as to take "all the blame" for something they weren't even involved in!

I asked Joshua if it was possible that Julia knew exactly what she was doing...not saying she for sure did...just was it possible. AND I asked him if he could possibly put himself in Jenni's position and understand that she was hurt.

I tried to reason with Joshua, but I was getting nowhere. Every time I would bring something up that he didn't want to talk about, he would say his favorite phrase, "Imnottalkingaboutthatrightnow."

If you need me, I'll be in my closet...in the fetal position. Join me, won't you?

"The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic." Psalm 29:4