There Once Was a Mother

There once was a mother who gave birth to a baby with red hair. She sang to him, cradled and rocked him, and thanked God for the miracle of him.

As he grew, their time together was easy and loving. His eyes lit up when he saw her and her love for him was as big as the sun.

He married a woman who didn’t like her. He petitioned to keep her in his family, but he became weak and couldn’t silence his demons or speak his truth. His mother was turned away from their home.

He was torn. He drank too much. He built a fence around his heart which grew into a wall. He was full of rage. At times, he became aware of a painful hole in his gut, but he defied it and swore that he was happy. He built more walls.

So, his mother had to learn how to forgive. She had to learn to let go, accept reality and go on with her life without him. She endured loneliness, illness, betrayal and heartbreak. She cried endless tears and wanted to die before she slowly, surprisingly, grew stronger in compassion and gratitude: compassion for him and gratitude for the loving graces that she had been given.

Recently, she wished him a Happy Birthday in a text. He wrote back ‘Thank you.’ She sighed and while pressing the off button, her eyes filled with tears.

She missed him so.