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For years they exchanged common
pleasantries as they passed each other by. The
frazzled looking mother of eight sat on her front
porch, keeping a watchful eye on the youngest of her
growing brood.
The career woman was usually
pressed for time, rushing by on her way to catch a
train that would take her to her 9 to 5 job in the
business world. The two women barely shared more than
a smile and a quick hello, but each had specific
thoughts on each other's lifestyle. The childless
career woman felt a little sorry for her neighbor.
What a handful, for a mother to have more children
than there is time to take care of them, thought the
world wise woman.
No time for anything but cooking,
cleaning and raising a family - with nothing to show
for it but paychecks that never stretch far enough,
tuition bills that have no end in sight, and a
distressed house decorated in greasy handprints
smudged on walls. And, let's not forget the washers
and dryers whose cycles run 24/7.
Where is the joy in several
hungry mouths to feed, while trying to keep up with
several different personalities in need?
To Ms. Professional, this mom was
a living example of the old woman who lived in a shoe;
which made her all the more thankful she had her
self-imposed life of luxury. With freedom to spend
her time the way she wanted, with no dependents to tie
her down, her neat and tidy home stayed just
that--neat and tidy.
Dinners in front of the TV or at
her favorite restaurant were just what her pampered
lifestyle offered. Her phone calls never had to be cut
short because a hormonal teen-ager suddenly had to
make a crisis call to her girlfriend who lived right
across the street.
She'd wave a quick hello to the
ever expectant mother and knew he had chosen the
perfect life.
Now, Mrs. Mom had her own
thoughts. She'd watch as Ms. 9 to 5 hurried on her
way and she, too, felt a pang of pity. How lonely it
must be, she thought, to have no ties to the heart
strings of little ones. How deafening the silence must
be without the noise of little voices to keep the
music of life flowing along.
With no babies to snuggle close
to your heart, with no children to cuddle and save
from monsters under the bed, with no chocolate kisses
from toddlers who squeeze your neck tight and proudly
proclaim: "I love you THIS much!!". while stretching
out two stubby little hands filled with
dandelions--with no teen-agers to bring you to the
brink of insanity, only to renew your faith in family
as you help them overcome an obstacle and they say:
"Thanks mom, I'm glad I listened."
A mother looks back at all these
treasured memories and wonders how life could ever be
fulfilling without them.
Mother Hen watches as the diva of
downtown employment is out of sight. She hopes that
one day the solitary lady will find more than business
suits, a quiet house, and a round trip train ticket,
to fill the void of an empty life.
Years passed by, the mother's
children grew up and the working woman retired. The
two bumped into each other one day by chance. They
began a conversation that would end up surprising both
of them.
The woman, who long ago chose a
career over children, admitted to the, now, gray
haired grandma that she always took pity on her, what
with all those kids to care for, it sure had to be a
chaotic life.
The grandmother of 22 gave the
woman a sly smile and with a twinlke in her eye
replied, "Why, what a strange coincidence, for it was
I who always felt sorry for you."
The moral of this story?
The path to greener pastures can
often be found in your own backyard when you live your
life on your own terms and treasure the benefits of
your heart's desires.
*** *** ***
Kathy Whirity lives in Chicago
where she shares her life and love with her husband,
Bill, their two daughters, Jaime and Katie, and two
rambunctious retrievers, Holly and Hannah. kathy is a
family life columnist for two area newspapers. for
more of Kathy's writings you may visit her web page:
KATHY WHIRITY'S MUSINGS FROM THE HEART.
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http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members?kathyw >
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