After dropping my son off at school, I just came home with my daughter and found this tiny, ceramic bird waiting for me between the screen and main door. My son had obviously placed it there for me to find. Its placement was purposeful and he was the last one out of the house this morning.
For once, our morning went rather smoothly. Things were actually going fine here today until we couldn’t find my son’s new windbreaker. We’ve really been working on having him hang his coat up (unprompted), put his shoes away, and throw his dirty clothes in the laundry, among other small responsibilities. He’s been doing all of those things for years, but he’s six and often, he forgets or rushes off to do something else. He’s a work in progress, just like the rest of us.But this morning, I forgot that for a minute.
When we couldn’t find his coat, I gave him a lecture about needing to hang up his coat and not just throw it wherever. And honestly, I went on longer than I needed to. He didn’t argue and said that when we did find it, he would be sure to hang it up again. I thanked him and we went about our day, neither one of us too upset about it in the end.
We got to school only for his teacher to remind me that his coat had yogurt all over it yesterday from a snack time mishap. Her words reminded me that I had thrown the coat in the wash. It wasn’t his fault at all. My heart sank and I called for him and whispered in his ear the truth and that I was sorry. He smiled and simply said “I forgive you.”
When I saw this bird this morning, placed somewhere where I could find it, I realized that he put it there when I was lecturing him for something he didn’t even do. He still showed me love in that moment by leaving me a surprise he knew would make me smile.
And in that small everyday moment, he reminded me that we show our people love even when they are acting unlovable. That’s what we do.
Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me, as we love our people and lift them up, even if they make a mistake. How lucky are we.