Watching Over You |
Linda Ferris Segedy
|
I was a single parent, divorced eleven years and raising my thirteen-year-old son, Michael, alone. Michael had recently taken up skiing at the nearby ski hill. Late one afternoon, I took him and his friend Joe to ski. Given all the trouble teens get into these days, I was always very careful about where they went and who would be there. The community ski facility was quite nice, with an area for food and drinks in the upper loft. Most parents would drop their kids off and would come back hours later, but before I could feel comfortable about leaving, I had to be sure they were safe and having a good time. I told the boys that I would stay in the loft and watch them ski for a while (even though in the evening with the lights on the hill, you could rarely tell who anyone was as they came skiing down). Hour after hour, I stood there watching each little figure go up in the lift, then ski downward. A couple of times, the boys came in for some food and hot chocolate. They laughed, sharing their triumphs and defeats on the hill, got warmed up and off they went again. After nearly four hours had gone by, I found myself standing at the window, feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself - I was tired and weepy. I allowed my thoughts to wander about how my ex-husband was probably out having a great time, with no responsibilities to tie him down. How great it would be to just be able to go clothes shopping or have some fun, something just for me for a change. Suddenly, a voice broke through my self-pitying mood. A young man, whom I had never met, said, "Hi, excuse me, but I noticed you've been standing there for hours. You're watching your kids ski, right?" Rather taken aback, I responded, "Yes, that's right." He replied, "Well, I just wanted to tell you, if there were more parents in the world like you, it would be a better place." And then he pushed the door open and left, as suddenly as he had come. My mood lifted, and a smile spread across my face. I recalled the passage from the Bible: "Don't forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:1). The young man's words brought me a very strange but comfortable feeling. I felt God had sent him, this angel, to remind me of what was really important in life. I knew in my heart that there was nothing else I'd rather be doing at that moment, and nowhere else I'd rather be.
Previousy published in Chicken Soup for the Single Parent's Soul | |