During a shift last week, I had to check up on one of the tenants who missed his medication earlier in the day, which was out of character for him. As I stood and knocked quietly at his door and asked him if he was okay he replied that he was out shopping in the morning. He then asked if I wanted to see what he bought. I was surprised, but I cheerfully agreed. He opened his door and proudly showed me the gifts he had bought for his mom (“Rose”). Strewn across his tiny room was a painting with a rose and music notes (“she loves music”), a large pillow with a pattern of roses, a fancy lawn chair with a table that folded out with pockets on the side for magazines and books, and some tanning oil. He explained that his mom had been sick during the winter and became rather pale so he wanted her to go out and get some sun. As he was describing this to me, he unfolded the chair and motioned that he wanted his mom to put some sun tan oil on while basking in the sun on her chair. He had to make 5 trips in total to the local store to be able to bring all this back home with him!
This may seem rather small for anyone reading this.. but if you had read some of my posts before, you would know that a few of the people I work with were chronically homeless. This means that they have lived at shelters or the streets for a large part of their lives. I know that he had spent a good fraction of his monthly income to get these gifts for his mom so I couldn’t help but be concerned.
“You must have spent a lot on all this,” I told him.
“It’s alright, I still have some saved up. I can always go to the soup kitchen for my lunch and dinner anyway,” he replied.
These words warmed my heart and I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t tear up. The love he had for his mom… The gratitude he felt towards her was so inspiring. He had chosen to show his love for his mom by giving her gifts that he was unable to give her before. Although for me, I never know what to give my mom, it really made me think… Lately my mom and I have been bumping heads, not because of anything either of us have done, but more because of my desire to just be alone, and if your mom is like mine, you’d know that she doesn’t like distance from her children. His love for his mom had reminded me of how I needed to treat my own mom, the woman who gave, and continues to give, me and my brothers her all.
Lord, I thank you for this wonderful reminder.. I’m sorry for sometimes taking her for granted, and I thank you also, for the gift of a loving mother.