Fait
A Mother’s Love Never Ends by Lisa Harris
A Moment The wind was blowing ever so slightly as the cool air seemed to float in on the deep red and gold-tipped leaves. The moment was familiar as she slipped on her garden gloves to pull a few unyielding weeds that seemed to appear year after year. Her garden shears came out of her back pocket to clip a few uneven areas of grass. She loved doing this by hand, it gave her much joy. She stood surveying what had been done and decided that a few yellow mums would add much-needed fall color. Her eyes traveled around surveying her work while she listened to the wind chimes sing and sway in cadence on the limb of an oak tree. After a few moments, she spread a blanket beside her daughter’s grave and gently wiped the dirt off the plaque that gathered between each letter. One by one she went over it with tissues as though she was wiping her child’s face. It had been years since she looked into her eyes and heard her voice say ‘Mom’. The pain was real, just not as sharp. It was mellow and tender and sacred. The sun was settling in for the night, and she leaned over and kissed the ground that her child lay tucked under. She folded her blanket, placed her gloves and shears back into her pockets, and walked away. Yes, that moment was familiar and always would be...because I am that Mom. In memory of Whitney One Last Time… Her eyes, once joyful, were sad as she stared at the two piles of laundry.
Life was hard.
Worried she would not have time to get it all done, she grabbed one pile and walked back to the laundry room dropping them in the wash.
She turned around and walked down the hall back to the second pile of laundry. This mound of clothes was not quite as big, but it had a familiar smell that made her bury her face in it. Her heart pounded as she took the wet clothes and placed them in the dryer and added a new load to the washer. It was with great hesitation that she did this, as the shirts would be clean, the familiar smell gone.
She turned to get the bottle of detergent accidentally tipping it over and spilling a bit onto the floor. Staring at the mess, she just repositioned herself around it and poured the correct amount into the small drawer inside the washer. Flipping the knob to the ‘normal’ wash, she stood there and watched the machine fill up with water through the glass top.
God NEVER promised life would be easy but…
The heaviness of the day drew a tiredness she had rarely experienced. She laid down and closed her eyes to escape life’s reality.
In the beginning, she thought it odd to have a top-load with a window…
Only a few minutes had passed when the dryer buzzer rang out and she reluctantly got up and switched out the clothes.
But today, it was soothing to watch the clothes suds up and swish around. Standing there she allowed her mind to wander and tears to flow.
She had to hurry.
Today was hard.
Setting up the ironing board she walked to the kitchen and filled a cup with water. In a few minutes, she would pour it into her iron and watch the steam spit and sputter letting her know it was ready.
Lisa Harris is a phenomenal faith writer, a mother and wife, and published author. She lives with her husband in Dallas, Georgia. Lisa speaks to women with an encouraging message of hope and purpose. Tony and Lisa have buried two of their three children and they value your prayers.
18 - www.laurelofnortheastgeorgia.com - November 2023
