Within Reach

I seem to be one of those people that projects a certain energy that encourages strangers to talk to me. Waiting at the bus stop, standing in line, at the grocey store - people will talk to me. Tonight held another one of those situations, but what started as an ordinary chit chat between strangers ended up in an all out tear fest, and reinforced a very important lesson for me.

With Mother's Day around the corner, I stopped by a drugstore to grab my mama bear a card. As the girl at the till scanned through my purchases and chatted with me, I noticed her face drop as she scanned through the card I chose for my mom. She went on to tell me that she was so sad, and that I'm so lucky to be able to give my mom that card. She hadn't seen her mother for 6 years, as she lives in South Africa with the rest of her family. She said whenever she tries to send cards or gifts, they are lost in the mail or never get delivered to her on time. As tears welled up in her eyes, she looked at me with so much longing - she wanted to be able to hand her mom a card like I was going to, to be able to give her mom a hug, and tell her face to face how much she loves her. I listened to her story with such compassion that it brought me to tears right there. I felt so helpless towards this poor young lady but at the same time felt so incredibly humbled and grateful for having my mom so close to me still. I gave the girl a big hug before I went on my way, and then immediately praised Jesus that I have been so blessed.

It was another reminder for me to not take anything or anyone for granted! It's so easy to get so caught up in all the trials and tribulations that life gives you, that I often forget how lucky I really am!! Having the ability to go visit my mom whenever I'd like is something I am incredibly grateful for. Family is everything.

So, if you are lucky enough to be able to spend Mother's Day with your mom this weekend, thank the Lord above for that blessing, and enjoy every moment that you get the privilege to share with her.

Happy Mother's Day Mama Bear, I love you and I will never take you for granted!!