Lessons from Thelma

So the fall semester of 2010 is officially over right now. It was a wonderful semester. I learned a lot, not just what was taught in class, but a lot of very valuable life lessons that I will never forget. One such lesson occured last night. I stayed the night at Chantal's and Shawns. Veronica, Chantal and I made these apple and cherry twist things that are simply divine. Then we went caroling to Chantal's visitng teachers. They are these two old ladies, and one of them is a very recent widow. We were talking to her about her plans for Christmas. With hope and excitement, she stated that her son was going to drive down from Montana and pick her up and then drive back to Montana so she could spend Christmas with them. Her eyes lit up as she told us about his family and about all the activites her grandsons are in. Almost like a cold gust of wind, the happiness blew out of her eyes as she turned to us and said, "I hope the weather isn't bad and that my son will be able to drive on the roads." I looked at her, and I realized that this poor woman was all alone in her house with the memories of her late husband who passed away just a mere couple of months ago. She had been looking forward to her son coming for weeks. As I thought about this, I made a promise to myself. I will do everything in my power to make sure that my mom will never sit alone and wonder if she would see her grandkids for Christmas that year. My mom is my best friend, and just as she has always been there for me, I will ALWAYS be there for her. The sadness that was in Thelma's eyes as she realized that the weather could hinder her hopes of being with her family for Christmas, that sadness will never be in my mom's eyes. No one should be alone for Christmas.

Peace and Blessings. Peeeaace and blessings :)