Tonight my husband and I went to get our one and only son…my firstborn. He was flying in from DC. As we drove through the pickup area where we all wave to our loved ones and embrace…I knew that those of us with adult children, this was our version of Santa. I caught a glimpse of my reflection….my smile…my true happiness in seeing my adult child waving back at me.
On our way home to hear him talk with my husband and myself…to just sit and enjoy.
There are many Mommas who don’t have that this Christmas…some adult children went to their husbands family….or they have work duties…and some are on the other side of heaven….
Some Mommas walked the craft aisles of Hobby Lobby and realized the little voices and messy paint and glitter are nothing but a distant memory…echoes in our mind as we try to remember. It’s why I keep my old kitchen table with all its markings and paint I can’t get off…
There are children who are facing their first Christmas without their parents or one parent…and there is no cure for that hole of vast emptiness.
My Dad always picked my orange for my stocking…I never appreciated that until my sister told me how special an orange was for my Dad when he was little…what a rare prize that was…and now I would give almost anything to have one more real conversation with my Dad…but for now I will take the bits and pieces.
This year I will not miss….it has brought pain and sadness for so many….but tonight I am grateful for all the good and even the bad…because it has shown me all I have to be grateful for.
The Reluctant Red Nose 