It is here. The weekend of breakfast in bed, handwritten cards, coupons for car washes, flowers and one day of peace. The mother load (no pun intended) of love and affection for mom's and kids. Mother's Day weekend.
Graduations, brunches, lunches hanging baskets, you name it, it is here.
I tried all week to prepare a blog in honor of Mother's everywhere and as hard as I tried, nothing happened. Until last night.
Yesterday, there was a neighborhood "incident". Nothing big, but it did force me and my neighbor to call the Sheriff. For those inquiring minds, we asked a jeep full of teenagers to slow down. No big deal and we wanted to report the license number. It appears that seven others before us did the same.
It is what happened on the call that sent me into a "moment" at Walker's game. The sheriff asks, "what is your name again?". I respond and can almost count silently in my head, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, yep, here it comes, "Are you the button's mom?" Just like clockwork. "Yes, I am." And then again, one Mississippi, two Mississippi..."You know, I have spent a lot of time with your son. I worked nights at summer camp."
Okay, this one got my attention.
"And you know, I think of him all the time. He always slept during the day and was up at night and he would call out of his cell, very quietly and he would ask, "are you there?"
"I would slide my chair over to him and we would talk. He has told me everything. And there is one thing I can tell you, he will be fine. He loves his mamma. He told me about your flowers and the garden he built for you and how you have a table that you decorate for every holiday and you go way over board and you always bake and when he walked in the door, smelling that oven was when he knew he was home. And he told me that you have always been there for him, both you and Frank."
Wow, a summer camp confession to a guard.
I guess he thought that this would make me feel good. It did. All that you do for your kids and it is always interesting to see what they remember.
And, I just tucked it away in my heart. It came out at the baseball game and I didn't mention it to Franklin. Sometimes, we have just had enough and nothing else needs to be processed.
About one thirty am last night, the dog went nuts. Franklin got up and there was a young teenager out and about. Franklin spoke to him and asked him what he was doing up and out and if he lived in the hood. It was a weird encounter. A young boy out in the middle of the night.
And it was that encounter that sent my heart raising again. It brought it all back. All the dashing out in the middle of the nights, the empty beds in the morning, all of it. The questions on the ceiling came back for a visit.
In the last few weeks, I have discovered that three of my friends are fighting cancer. Four of my friends have buried their fathers. My sister-in-law has buried her son. And three girls in Ohio are sleeping in their own beds.
There is only one thing I want for Mother's Day.
I want Peace for Mother's day. I want Peace for my friends who are fighting cancer. I want Peace for my friends that have just buried their dads. I want Peace for my sister-in-law. I want Peace in the hearts of all moms. I want all mothers to know in their hearts that they are doing a good job. I want Peace for the daughters who have reversed roles and are now taking care of their mothers and fathers. I want Peace for the single moms who wonder if they are doing a good job. I want Peace for the parents who have blended families. I want Peace for my mom.
And I want Peace for me. I want my family to move forward. All of us.
I want hearts to open and Peace to enter.
And because Franklin only shops at one store, I am sure I will get a card and a plant.
And for that I will be happy.
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