I had a long day
Packed with clients
Running errands in between
Eager to finish my day
After grabbing my nine year old
It was pick up time
He walked out the front door
Of the gym
Toward my car
Slumped over
Looking as if
Something bad happened
He stepped into the car
Slammed the door
Started to cry
Or was it whining
Or some kind of attempt at sounding pitiful
As he shared how unfair it was
How they told him one thing
How it didn’t make any sense
How he wasn’t allowed to ask for help
How disappointed he was
How wrong they were
He was a bit incoherent
He was all over the place
In his description
Nothing was making sense
I was tired
His whining was annoying
I really wanted to help
I really just wanted him to stop
I really just wanted to get home
As soon as I found a pause
In his discourse
I jumped in
In an attempt to make it stop
I shared how I didn’t understand
Anything he was saying
How it couldn’t be that bad
How he needed to speak
To his coaches differently
How there is obviously
A reason they did what they did
To which he said
Mom…
I feel as if you are speaking to me
In a demanding way
And I really don’t appreciate it
His communication
Was so clean and clear
While blanketed
In hurt and disappointment
I took my own pause
Sat with his words
Felt the truth
In what he shared
And simply said
Sorry bud…
You are right
I shouldn’t be speaking this way to you
Thank you for bringing it to my attention
Let’s try that again
We both took
One last pause
Allowing for him to freshly
Begin his explanation again
Allowing me to freshly
Listen from a new perspective
It made more sense this time
As I could listen more clearly now
With patience and understanding
Realizing that his world
Is just as important as mine
And just as difficult
At times
To navigate
He felt heard
He felt assured
He felt settled
He was able to
Come to a conclusion
On how he can handle
The situation differently
Next time
I felt like a bad mom
I felt wrong for my actions
I felt horrible for making him feel bad
I was able to
Turn that around
Meet him in the moment
Realize how I can handle
The situation differently
Next time
Especially with a little
Help, love and respect
For one wise and confident kid
Wow Kristine…Beautifully said.
I can’t believe I got it Wrong all of these years. You should have been my mother and I should have been your kid.
Love you.. Mom
Beautiful. And so we always get a do-over. In A Course In Miracles the term “sin” has a different meaning than it does in traditional Christanity, more akin to the archery term for “missing the mark” than as an offence to God. We learn that the universe is both self-organizing and self-correcting. And so we can be sure that another similar situation will arise where we get a chance to get it right, a do-over, an opportunity to see it another way. Always, without guilt, without fear, with Love, until we hit the mark.