With a little luck it really can be a blessing

The computer is down again. I think for good this time. I am again over in Tara's kitchen typing while she feeds my greedy little children. Good thing I have friends so social services doesn't come calling. But, that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about being honest and it's accompanying blessings, or hardships. So, we are taught to be honest, to choose the right, and to look forward to our mansions in heaven (I tell you though, I don't want that mansion unless it comes with some poor soul doomed to a lesser kingdom to clean it). However, sometimes mansions in heaven seem a little too far off for me. I like the honesty I learned in little kid primary--the kind where you turn in the candy you stole and the manager is so pleased he gives you a king size bar, the kind where you confess to Mr. Mumford that he didn't grade your 7th grade math paper right and you actually got one more wrong than he thought and he to repay your honesty he gives you 100%. I like the getting your cake and eating it too honesty. Mansions in heaven are great but a little immediate gratification isn't bad either. I remember in college when I took an English paper in to the professor to show him a mistake he didn't catch. "Oh, thanks," he said. "I guess that brings you down to an 86%." What! Seriously. You're not going to give me extra credit for telling the truth? Ah, honesty, it's a crap chute. (Sorry, Mom, I'm channelling Laura.) As I get older I run into more and more of the blessings in heaven type of honesty and less of the ends well for everybody kind. More of the honesty where telling the truth actually gets you the consequence you deserve instead of absolving you of responsibility. Blessings in heaven are great but I miss the easy stuff. So, a couple days ago I took the kids down to trick or treat with the senior citizens. The kids and old folks had a great time but as we were loading up in the car Will fell out of the car slamming his door into the mini van next to us. Rats. I was trying to do a good deed and be nice to old people and this is what I get. I'm ashamed to say I was less concerned with William lying prone on the ground, his feet still in the car and more concerned with the very obvious dent he had put in the car next to us. I looked around, no moms where headed our way, the parking lot was otherwise empty, the angel and devil on my shoulders started negotiating. Nuts, I found a scrap of paper in my car, wrote a note explaining what had happened (I did make sure I mentioned the child falling), and left my phone number. I resisted the temptation to place the note in a place it might accidentally blow away or not be seen and stuck it under the wipers. Is it horrible to want the blessing of being honest and also hoping the lady never calls me? Well, I've been starring at cake a couple days now, nobody has called, and I'm feeling lucky enough that tonight I just might eat it.