In the waiting room
At Jiffy Lube today
A woman walked in
Pushing her son in a wheelchair.
I offered my seat
Because there was room for him
Next to my chair.
She politely declined.
Although he was nonverbal
He made it clear
That he did not like where he was sitting.
So she moved him
Away from the door
And in front of her chair
And calmly patted his chest
To reassure him
That all was well.

Eventually the room cleared
And it was just the 3 of us.
I asked her
“How old is your son?”

“He’s 18 today!”
She replied.
“I can’t believe how time flies!”

More conversation
How many kids we each had
And she had grandkids as well.
And as we talked
About mundane things
Like traffic
I was in awe of her
And I could see her heart.

She had been taking care
Of her precious son
For 18 years now.
And she probably would
For the rest of his life
Or until she couldn’t anymore.

And what I really wanted to tell her
Was that I hadn’t been expecting
To run into any angels
That day.
Two angels on earth
Who just looked like
Ordinary people.

And I wanted to tell her
How God loves her
For taking care of His son.
And that one day
All the lost sleep
Would be restored somehow.
And it would all be worth it.
Because her son
Would stand up
And embrace her
And tell her thank you.
And I wanted to tell her
How excited I was
And so happy for her
For that day.
So just keep going.
You’re doing great.

But in the moment
My heart was so full
That I couldn’t find the words.
And she maybe wondered
Why I was tearing up
About traffic.

And instead
As I left,
I just wished her son
Happy birthday.

But I hope she could feel
What I meant.

Read more about the sacred role of mothers here