PICTURES OF A MOTHER

Blogs, Jason Gish April 23rd, 2008

One mom sleeps quietly away, engulfed in clouds with dreams of her child growing up and growing strong. Her husband is on the other side of the house, cuddling their three month old who’s cough has lasted for almost a week. He’s tired and hungry just like the baby, but he knows that his wife will have a long day once she awakes a couple hours later. Love abounds in the home between the parents and the children. Life is hectic.

One mom dresses her newborn in the prettiest outfit she has. She herself is dressed in that one dress that he loves most. He comes around the corner. “It’s time.” He looked so handsome in his uniform. On the way, not much is spoken. They didn’t have to. The ceremony was beautiful. The hugs lasted a lifetime. The tears could have filled the ocean. Once he is out of sight, she holds her little girl. She whispers, “It’s okay. He’ll be back. . . He will.” Life if fragile.

One mom sits at the kitchen table in her one-bedroom apartment. It’s past midnight and she wonders where her seventh grader is. Will he walk through the door soon? Is he at a friend’s place? Is he walking the streets? Will the phone ring again with “the law” on the other end? She wonders how it all happened. Just a year ago she had a perfect marriage, a perfect family. His death was so sudden; they had been unprepared. Everything is falling apart. Life is fleeting.

One mom sits behind the wheel with three younglings in the back. The rain on the windshield makes it hard to see in the moonlit night, let alone the tears that flow, dripping from her cheeks. Piercing the darkness comes a small voice, “Mommy, where are we going?” She had been asking herself that same question, yet answers were elusive. The one thing she did know was that she couldn’t go back. She wouldn’t. Never! But, where to now? Life is scary.

Four moms. They live in different worlds though they breathe the same air, travel the same roads. They hurt. They struggle.

Four moms enter through the doors. They sit in different places though they hug the same people, sing the same songs, hear the same message. They dream. They hope. Their faith carries them through, clinging to his promise, “never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Life is hectic, but at peace. Life is fragile, but so precious. Life is fleeting, but full. Life is scary, but endurable. The message brings hope. The songs provide faith. The hugs supply love.

Leave a Reply