cup half full ... an emjayandthemphoto
I can’t drive yet so our youngest son has been shuttling me around here and there. So … there we were yesterday afternoon, driving the dog home from his vet appointment. Riding through the neighborhood and looking out the window, he heard me sigh. It wasn’t a subtle sigh, it was a discouraged sigh. A sigh full of longing.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” he asked.
“Oh … I’m just frustrated” I replied.
“About?”
“Everything. I can’t drive, I can hardly do anything and, quite frankly, I’m getting a little sick of it, you know?” I asked.
To which he replied, “Mom .. What is it you always tell me? That cup half full thing? You’ve gotta remember that you’ve still got a cup; you’re doing better every day. It’s ok; you’ll be ok.”
The 17 year old reassuring me.
Talk about role-reversal.
I looked over at him, noting the 5:00 shadow that so closely resembles his Dad’s. I watched as he carefully maneuvered my vehicle into the garage, taking his time so he didn’t propel old dog off the back seat and to the floor by stopping too abruptly.
With unexpected tears clouding my eyes, I put my hand over his and gave him a warm smile. Blinking my emotions away, I said the only thing I could think of, “Thanks kid.”
“You’re welcome” he replied, smiling. Followed by his daily question of: “So … do you know what’s for supper tonight?”
It’s stories like this that make me smile and wonder (albeit briefly) what I missed out on by not having a child of my own….just lovely MJ!
Well, Coach Beth, I will say this .. he is a very thoughtful young man and it’s moments like that one that make the hard work of parenting totally worth it! Cheers .. MJ
Isn’t it great when your kids do or say something that shows you did an amazing job raising them?
It was one of those small moments that let me believe we did something right along the way!
Thanks for visiting .. and I’ve added you to my blogroll. Cheers! MJ
Well, Miss red curly haired cool one, what happened to you? I get preoccupied with my own life, check in on you and all of the sudden your son is teaching you life lessons while chauffeuring you around.
Yay for him, yay for the dog and yay for half-full cups! Happy healing!
Hello again RDK
. Yes -yay for him, the old doggie and cups half full .. please come back and I promise I’ll visit you soon, too. MJ
I love this! I seem to say that about a lot of your posts! Yes, I have had those moments myself. I enjoyed every stage of children; some more than others. But I can honestly say the greatest reward is this time, when we are not just parent/son and parent/daughter, but good friends as well. And it is so rewarding to see an amazing young adult in front of you and to know that somehow, in spite of mistakes along the way, you had a part in the process!
Thank you for sharing!
Sheila
Thank you, Sheila … I agree with you 100%. And.. I find those little moments happen when we most need them to also
Cheers! MJ
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story… we sometimes forget how full our cups are!
indeed… all it takes is a reminder, right?
Cheers! MJ
Awww… that’s a great kid you’ve got there!
Aww thanks Terri.
MJ
Aww, what a great son! This post made my heart happy
He’s a tender-heart, that’s for sure. Thanks Jaclyn … MJ
Aww, good kid. Hard to imagine that one day I will have boys with beards.
you will .. and it will be here before you know it!!
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