"Time to go, Mom," she hears him yell across the house. This is the 3rd time that she has had to do this but it never gets any easier. She grabs her keys, purse, phone and heads out the door. He comes out right behind her. His eyes are brimming with excitement. WOW! A junior in college! Time has really flown by so quickly. He gets into his car and she gets into her truck preparing to follow him. Her husband will meet them at the university later. As they pull out of the driveway, she puts on some music and begins to reminisce. Life hasn't always been easy. Being a single, teen mom is by far one of the most difficult things ever! She has had times wondering where their next meal was going to come from and if they would be able to pay the rent. There have been many long days at work and many jobs just to make ends meet. She is always thankful that she had her family to help out especially when he was little. Some days, she only saw him when she was putting him in bed. She remembers his big brown eyes glazed over with sleep and hears him dreamily tell her that he loves her. She can still smell that little boy smell as she leans over to kiss his forehead and pray over him. She can see his tousled hair that is sticking up in a myriad of places. Hair that is so dark brown that it is almost black. She can hear his sweet little footsteps coming down the hall to her bedroom when he got scared at night. What she wouldn't give for one more snuggle time with that little boy!
Now, he is a grown man fulfilling his dreams. He is in college on a full, academic scholarship with aspirations of being a doctor. He is a member of student government and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She couldn't be prouder of the young, godly man he is becoming. But her heart aches at the thought that he no longer needs her like he used to. Soon, he will meet a young woman and get married and maybe have some children for her to spoil. Wouldn't that be nice?
Upon arriving at school, they unload all his stuff into his new apartment. She has brought a few meals for the freezer for him to enjoy when he doesn't have time to cook for himself. She cleans and makes sure everything is just right. She is really stalling, not wanting to leave just yet. But, she knows that she must go home and with tears in her eyes and a pain in her heart, she turns to go. He calls out to her, "Thanks, Mom! You're the best! I love you!"
"I love you, too, Son! Study hard and act like somebody." She turns to go......
This is a short story of what could've been, if I had made a different decision when I was 17. My boy, in Heaven, would have turned 20 Tuesday and been a Junior in college. John Paul, my heart will always ache for what could've been!
