Another Mother’s Day has come and gone. And just like any other celebration, there are let downs, great memories, tears, and full hearts. This one is no different.
I spent the day with my family which I will treasure for a lifetime. We talked about life, the things we were struggling with, played games, ate food together, and so on. I was not allowed in the kitchen and was even ‘yelled at’ for attempting so. Wow, it sure is weird not having to clean up the food and dishes.
My boys, along with their Dad, got me a new workout shirt. Now, they all knew I needed one. And I needed one badly. The one I currently am using is so worn out that they were embarrassed to see me wear it. Me? I was quite okay with it. Being a mom of 4, I was quite content to not have the best if it meant my kids had all they needed.
But needless to say, I was quite grateful. I even laughed as I pulled out the shirt, right size and colour too as I knew they were not going to let me wear my old one anymore.
Was that the best gift you ask? No, it wasn’t. Now don’t get me wrong. I am very thankful for my gift along with all my family did for me today. But the best gift, wasn’t tangible at all.
For years now, I have been trying to get my son Austin to sing. Just sing. Sing to me, sing to himself, just sing. But I just could not get him to do it. Sometimes, though I would sneak up on him while he was in his room and try to see if I could catch him singing. And one day, I finally heard him. It was awesome! Now, how was I going to get him to do if in front of me?
One day, at the supper table, as we were all sharing about our day, Austin nonchalantly mentions to me that his choir teacher asked him to sing a solo for the upcoming school performance. I was like, “WHAT???” I felt myself get all giddy inside. I proceeded to ask him if he said he would. He said he was thinking about it. I of course asked him what song and such and offered my expertise should he need it. He said he would let me know.
Lo and behold, he told his teacher yes. However, the song changed to be a duet and not a solo. No biggie. I was just pumped I was finally going to hear my son sing. He asked me a bit later if I wanted to hear him sing his song. I told him I wanted it to be surprise on the day of the performance. He was cool with that.
Now, if his teacher could get him to sing in front of a gym full of people, maybe now I could get him to sing for me. I told him awhile later that if he was wondering what he could get me for Mother’s Day, he could sing and play a song for me. That’s it. Just sing and play for me. Oh, and if could record it too that would be bonus. That’s all I wanted. It would be the best Mother’s Day gift ever! I think he was kinda shocked. The best?
As the afternoon rolled along, I was beginning to wonder if he was going to indeed sing for me. He made no mention of it after that initial request and I didn’t dare talk about either. We were standing outside, enjoying the sunshine, when I leaned over to him and kinda hinted without actually asking if was going to maybe… He looked over at me and said, want to hear it now? I almost shouted yes!
I sat down with great anticipation as he made himself comfortable at the piano. I asked him if I knew the song. He said oh yes. I had to hold back the tears as he started to play and for the first time in my life, I heard my Austin sing like never before “I can only imagine”.
Up until this point, it was all a dream, a vision of sorts. But my dreams came true when he began to belt out the chorus and my heart was beaming with pride. Maybe it’s not the gift you might think is the best. But for me it was.
