A Blessing

I was blessed yesterday.

Sitting in front of me during service was a mother and her daughter. I had noticed them earlier as they came into the building. The mother had a walker. Her daughter was at her side, helping with each step.

And as they settled in the two seats in front of me, I was able to observe them more closely. The mother was, I'm guessing, seventy-years-old. Her daughter had the beautiful and eternally youthful face of a person with Down's Syndrome, but her reddish-brown hair was beginning to gray at her temples. She must have been nearing fifty.

Fifty years. This woman has been full-time mothering for fifty years! And here I am bemoaning the thirty-one years I will have put in when my youngest will finally turn eighteen. I watched the two interact during the service. I saw the care and patience that the mother had for her daughter. And my heart was filled with admiration for this woman.

I never did find a chance to talk to them. They left as soon as the last 'Amen' was said. But this mother has changed me. I no longer need to waste my time thinking about what I will pursue when my nest is empty; that time will come. I don't need to count the years until I see the light at the end of the tunnel; God only knows how many years I will have. I don't need to envy those who have more time, money, and opportunity; God gives me the exact amount of time, money, and opportunity I need right now. I can focus on the here and now and be faithful to the tasks God has put in front of me, whatever those tasks may be. The baby in my womb could have Down's Syndrome. Something could happen in a few years that will make it impossible for one of my children to live independently. Whatever God brings my way, I will always walk the path that He has put before me.