The Five Special Things

The Five things from the room I am currently setting in.  I did not see five things in this room so I had to use other rooms.

1.  My Bible

2.  A 20 x 16 picture of my mother and me

3.  A picture of my son and me when he was about two.

4.  A picture of my daughter.  I think she was about 4.

5.  My computer because I did not see anything else.

I do not particular think of material things as special.  They are something to be used and when they are no longer needed or useful, given away or thrown out.  I do treasure my pictures.  They capture a moment in time.  When I look at them, they still make me smile.

My Bible: I was in Washington, D.C. that last part of 2009.  My daughter wanted me to be here for Christmas so she brought me a plane ticket over the internet.  Yes, I had taken it to D.C.  Because of the snow storm, we arrived late to the airport.  I was told that my luggage probably would not make it.  A voice said to keep my Bible with me.  Then I was told that I probably would not make it.  The next flight was not until the next day and cost a hundred dollars more.  Then I heard my name called saying Lucinda Davis if you want to make this flight, hurry up.  I had not even gone through security.  My name was called two more times.  I got in line, asked people if I could get in front of them.  This is very unusual for me because I have a problem with asking people for anything or to do anything for me.  They all said “yes.”  With my shoes in my hands, my overnight bag, and my Bible, I ran for the plane.  When I got there the flight attendant said, “We are going to Dallas” then “just kidding, we were waiting for you.”  The pilot announced that “sorry for the delay now we can take off.  There was someone we couldn’t leave.”  I had just the clothes on my back, but my Bible and I were on that plane.  When I arrived in Birmingham, a man was complaining about the service.  He said they never wait for you and if they do, it is about five minutes.  Well, I told him that they waited way longer than five minutes for me, he was surprised.

 My mother was my best friend.  When I told her that we were moving to Alabama, she cried.  She said she did not want to move there because those folks are so prejudice.  She had had a bad experience while visiting relatives in Florida when the KKK thought one of our relatives was a white woman because that is how she looked.  Mom said they did not stop until they got to the Virginia line.  I sometimes wondered about how far they got before having to stop for gas, but in her mind it was Virginia.  So she always said she did not want to go any farther south than Virginia, our home state.  So she cried when I told her.  I said mom, you have other children you can stay with.  She said "no," if you crawl, I'm crawling.  If you walk, I'm walking” So she came with me.  I heard people say that two women cannot live in the same house.  My mother and I did because we respected each other.  After I became grown, she treated me as an adult and I likewise did not treat her as if she was too old to have a mind.  She stayed with me until the day she died.  When the doctor’s told her that there was nothing else they could do for her, she said “well there is no need for me to come back here then.  Whatever you do here, Lucinda can do at home.”  Then she looked at me and said “isn’t that right.”  I looked towards and heaven and said “help me Lord.”  He did.  She died peacefully in her own bed.  She gave me a kiss and said "I love you".  I asked if there was anything else I could do for her and she said “no".  As she moved close to the end of her life, she was very content.  The only thing bothering her was me.  She was afraid of how my ex-husband would treat me when she died.  I told her to not love me more than she love God and if He said she was ready, go. I also told her that the same God who is taking care of her is taking care of me, so don't worry. So after that she said she was just waiting for Him to take her.  One day it will be my turn.  I will meet her again.  I know this because it was a promise from God.  I will know her spirit. 

 My children are grown and much taller and bigger than I.  I can no longer hold them on my lap, but I can look at the time when I could and think back to when for the most part, I was the most important person in their lives.  They each now have another important person so mother gets push back.  That is the way it is supposed to be, but I still have the moments in time captured in my pictures.