The Gift of Time

What a glorious Mother’s Day I had! A Skype video call from my daughter, Elya, surprised me and then a brunch with my other daughter, Andy, and the women in our family delighted. We enjoyed talking, laughing, and celebrating! After that I drove down to Santa Monica for “the surprise” my son had planned. We walked around to the back of his apartment where his car was usually parked, and he said, “What better way to enjoy the day than ride up the coast in a convertible!”  

 

There sat a white sporty Mustang convertible with the top down. I was so shocked by this unexpected gift Josiah rented for the day.  

  

We took off for a leisurely drive up the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. As we pulled out onto the highway, I felt like the Queen of the World! The sun warmed my skin and the wind playfully swirled my hair. Our meandering took us to beautiful places I had never visited.  

  

We were adventurers for the day taking winding roads to the top of cliffs overhanging the sea.  

  

Along the way we stopped for coffee and talked as the sun streamed through the large window behind our soft, leather barrel chairs.  

  

We also stopped at Paradise Cove and sat under an umbrella wiggling toes in warm sand.  

  

We walked along the beach and shared about our joys from today and dreams for the future.  

  

I cannot remember when I last enjoyed such a long, leisurely, and uninterrupted time with my son.  

  

As he spoke, the realization hit me that I was sitting with a new person. He was no longer my little boy, nor a gangly teenager, or even a mature college student. Now he was a brilliant, well-spoken man who talked of traveling the world in search of learning about emerging markets in third world countries. He dared to dream of the future with its life-altering choices.  

  

His next comment brought an ouch to my heart:  

“I realized that this will probably be the last Mother’s Day we will celebrate together for the next few years. Next year I will be traveling around the world and after that is two years of business school.”   

I held onto him a little longer while saying good-bye. As I drove away fighting back the tears, I felt that familiar pain in my chest: the ache that comes from releasing my children to soar away into their own lives.  

  

Yes, I love this new person Josiah  has become and I know that his passages through life will introduce me to different sides of him I am yet to meet: husband, father, grandfather. I look forward to the days unfolding with promise of exploring his new life events. But just for today, my heart fills to overflowing with Mother’s Day memories. The most important being the gift of time.