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| eighteen-year-old Joshua on the right, and a friend at an amusement park |
Joshua got up
early, a rare thing for him in the last months before his death. He came to me
and said, “Happy Birthday, Mom.”
I turned to see
his unsmiling face, but his expression showed determination. I hugged him.
“Thank you, Son, for remembering. I can’t believe I’m fifty.”
His eyes darted,
and he looked away. I wondered what I might have said to worry him. He finally
said, “Yeah, fifty,” and left the kitchen. A few minutes later, with a duffle
bag slung over his should, he said, “I’ve got to run an errand.”
My husband came
in soon after Joshua left. He looked me up and down. “Dress nice today. We’re
taking a ride in an hour.”
My husband then
walked out the door. Okay, something’s going on. I went about my morning chores
still concerned over Joshua’s sad demeanor.
Our ride
consisted of a trip to the city park. Jim weaved the car past picnic areas and
to a large barbecue area. People stood around the site and watched us get out.
At first they appeared to me as strangers, but then faces smiled. My cousin and
her family walked toward us. I recognized a few friends also.
People began to
yell, “Surprise! Happy Birthday.”
My hands flew to
my mouth. I looked at my husband. “Did you do this?”
He shook his
head. “Joshua did.”
My youngest son,
Joshua, stayed at my side all day, except when he discovered he forgot some of
the food he prepared back at the house. He even watched me play volleyball with
my cousin’s children and our grandchildren. He never smiled, though, and that
fact nagged at me.
After I crawled
into bed that night, my mind flashed on Joshua’s stern expressions. Is Joshua
worried because I’m growing old?
Dear Lord, this
day was a mixture of happy and sad. Why would Joshua go to all the trouble of
bringing people together for my birthday and seem so withdrawn? Please, Lord,
help my son. In Jesus’s holy name. Amen
Reader Journal
~Your Mother Memories~
~Your Prayer of Praise~
~A Scripture of Encouragement~
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