November 5, 2015 11:35 am Mutual Adoration Society
Patty Lawson looked through the wide doorway between her kitchen and family room at her little boy playing on the floor. She felt like the only mother alive. The enormous love she had for her ten month old and her life as his mother made her feel incredibly fortunate. Listening to his bits of Donald Duck language made cleaning the messy kitchen almost pleasurable.
Patty was older than many first time mothers. She had been surprised at how quickly she fell for the simple life of being with George all day long. She didn’t miss working at all. Her husband, Phil was grateful too. A kind and happy man, his job made him travel a lot and the fact that Patty was so content was a source of relief and comfort for him.
As she dried her hands, she felt George’s big brown eyes looking at her. His three- tooth smile and bobbing little body was irresistible. Holding him snugly, Patty promised him to be the best mother she could be. His little wild bird utterances let her know George believed her.
Years passed by quickly. Patty and George’s love affair continued to grow as they got to know each other in so many ways.
When George started nursery school, Patty always looked forward to picking him up from the school play yard. On this particular day, his blue and white striped shirt was easy to find. She marveled at his new coordination and confidence on the monkey bars. He was getting good at pumping himself on the swings. Just watching him running around smiling with his friends made her so happy.
”Patty. Hi! How’ve you been?” Jen Moore was the mom of one of George’s classmates. “Still nuts about your kid?” She smiled.
“Oh hi, Jen. Yes, more so everyday.”
“Good for you two.”
Jen’s son Jackson came running up, almost knocking his mother down.
“You’re late! You always are. Let’s go, slow Mommy,” he said forcefully.
“I guess, I’m leaving Patty. See ya.” Jackson was yanking on her hand.
“Goodbye, Jen. See you, Jackson,” Patty felt sad for Jen.
George ran up. “Mommy, I found this little smooth stone! Then I saw a beetle and I watched it crawl under a rock. James did too. We don’t know how he did it. It was magic we think.”
“Oh definitely, sweetheart.”
Patty knelt and looked into George’s big brown eyes. He was so full of excitement about life. She felt their love connection so deeply. George rubbed his little smooth stone and then passed it into his mother’s warm hand.
“I’ll hold it for you, sweetheart. Are you almost ready to go home for lunch?”
“The stone is for you, Mommy. It is. Yes, I am hungry. Bye James. See you tomorrow.”
“George, let’s look for the beetle again tomorrow.”
“Yeah!”
Patty and George said goodbye to his teacher, Liz. “See you tomorrow, George,” she told him. “Great day today. Tomorrow we can mix some more colors if you want. Bye, Patty.”
“Thanks. Take care, Liz.” Patty was so grateful that George had such a nice teacher.
On the drive home, Patty and George decided that it was a soup and sandwiches kind of day. Then George spotted Percy’s, their favorite diner and they couldn’t resist. They ordered vegetable soup and chicken sandwiches. Patty thought of Jen and Jackson and took George’s small hand in hers.
She put the little smooth stone on the table as their lunches arrived.
“Mommy, I just love you.” George’s eyes beamed.
“I know dear George. I love you too.”
Patty and George’s gentle, mutual adoration is what we all would love at any age. This is a foundation that they will always have as their life together grows and changes. Their essential happy chemistry seems to make more of itself all the time. Patty and George know their rare good luck and will cherish it.
It would be so great if mothers and fathers and children could feel this way about each other all of the time. Yes, just the way they did when they first saw one another. Love at first sight, lasting forever just feels so possible today.
Written by: Anne Martine Cook, Managing Partner & Mom, with 40 years experience teaching nursery school children.
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