It’s Mother’s Day today and it’s the first one that I was actually able to be in the same state as my mom in the last three years. We’ve gotten used to not having to celebrate important dates on the actual day as my brother and I have both moved off, but it is a nice surprise to actually be able to be around from time to time. My parents have been very understanding over the last couple of years, but it was nice to get up this morning and have pancakes and coffee with my mom. Then it was off to church and a nice lunch after.
Ever since my mom and dad started working at the church, we have started being the last ones to leave. Let me correct that. We’ve always been last to leave, it’s just now they have an official job that keeps them there. Either way, we were able to beat the lunch rush by showing up after everyone else had already finished. When we first sat down, my mom made eye contact with the lady in the table next to ours who was sitting alone and wished her a happy mother’s day and told her she looked beautiful. I didn’t really think anything else of it, but since my back was to her and I was facing my mom, I could see it in my mom’s face that she wanted to reach out to this other lady.
Before we even got our rolls, my mom asked us if we could invite her over to join us. Now who is going to say no to that? Mary agreed, and we brought all of her things to our table. We soon found out that Mary is a five time great-grandmother and after their church service, her husband had to return home for health reasons, but she was going to get her mother’s day lunch. All the generations that have followed her live in north Alabama now, and so she’s gotten used to the alone time. Mary talked about how she just wanted to go have lunch somewhere on the river or near water and sit and enjoy the afternoon. She had a perfect table overlooking the river. I should know, because we were sitting at the table next to her’s.
It didn’t take much to get Mary started and once she did, there was no lull in the conversation. I don’t know if she’s not able to talk as much in her daily life, or if it’s the exact opposite and this is just another conversation. Whichever one it was, she felt at home at our table and we were lucky to have her with us. Before we knew it, it was after 3 o’clock and we had spent most of the afternoon with Mary. She told us she needed to get home to her husband, but she was thankful for the opportunity to join us for lunch. I’ll admit, I enjoy a meal alone from time to time, but no mother should eat alone on Mother’s Day.
Lunch today was a blessing for a couple of reasons. First, I was able to watch my own mom in her element of loving on and taking care of people. Second, because I just got to sit and listen to Mary’s stories for a few hours. Her husband was a JAG lawyer, so they’ve lived all over the world and traveled in all sorts of countries. The greatest part was that I think she enjoyed telling the stories as much as I enjoyed hearing them. I’m sure in old age, there’s a lot you can look back and have regrets on. But to be able to recount the seasons of your life with joy is a true picture of being blessed. All in all, I’d say it was a pretty great Mother’s Day.
