“I was dressed and ready to go out.
I opened the door…and said “Bye” to my mom
and the people of my house.
My mom said in a concerned but loving voice
‘Hannah, it’s late na…(hinting for me not to go, but would never say it)
be careful ok?’
To that I replied,
‘Ok Mommy!’
I closed the door behind me and headed for the bus stop.”
This summer The Lord has been taking me from one place to another. Leaving my house and coming back home only a few days later. Whether it be on mission, for vacation or to visit family. Even though leaving my house for a few days has become second nature for me and I know my mom has become accustomed to it, it is still hard for me to say, “Bye” every time.
“It was almost 9:00 pm,
the street-lamps lit the darkened sidewalk I was on.
As I crossed the street,
at the corner of my eye,
I noticed some movement.
I looked down towards my left and
I saw two racoons hiding under the side of the sewer.
It surprised me because I’ve never seen anything like this before.
They sat there together…”
Being away from home has made me realize the importance of time and the value of presence. The importance of the time you actively give to another person and the importance of your presence in physically being there for someone. I realized that the Lord is not only preparing me for whatever he has planned, but he is also preapring those who have given me their time and presence.
Those who surround me.
“One racoon was a little bigger,
it seemed older than the much smaller racoon.
I noticed that, when they saw me…
they both scurried under the sewer,
the older one guiding the other
even though there were not physically touching.
They watched me as I passed by.
I continued walking to the bus stop.
In order for me to get to my bus stop,
I needed to go through the underground tunnel.
I stepped into the tunnel
I kept walking.
It occurred to me that the tunnel seemed more dimly lit than usual.
But…
I continued walking with hesitation…”
There are times when I am away…I ask myself if I should have stayed home or if I should have not agreed to go. Most of the time…I think of these things when I’m already hours and kilometres away…
“As I walked to the bus stop, I kept replaying my mom’s words in my head
‘Hannah, it’s late na…be careful!’
What did she mean? I know it was a simple comment…
but I felt like there was something more.
I continued walking…”
My mom has dedicated her time to raise me, to take care of me, to teach me…
She is present in all parts of my life even though she may not be physically there…
All this not out of convenience
But
All this because of love
My mother encompasses God in her heart. So whatever she says..I take it to heart..
“As I continued walking to the bus stop to meet my friends at Tim Hortons…
The words my mom said kept resounding in my head
‘Hannah, it’s late na…be careful ok?’
As I reached the bus stop
I waited there
Still preoccupied with my mom’s words
For some reason the bus didn’t come
I kept asking myself
‘Is it too late?’
I realized that…I wasn’t referring to the time…
As I sat there waiting for the bus I realized that..
‘It’s not too late…I’m still here’
So I turned around and I walked back home.
I reached my house and I opened the door.
My mom was siting on the couch watching TV,
she saw me walking in and all she did was smile.
I hugged her
I put my bags down,
and we just sat there together.
I smiled and told her
‘Oh yeah…it was late.’
And we both smiled.”
—
Lord God,
Thank you for those who have made time for me and those who have blessed me with their presence. May I be able to be that instruments to others and to those that love me. May I be able to love by giving of my time as though there was no limit and by being present as though being with that person is the only thing that matters for that moment. I will never be able to repay my mom for the amount of time she has given me and her constant presence in my life. The least I can do is to make time and be present…Just like how the Lord is always present and makes time for me.
It’s never too late!
Amen! 🙂