A Prayer for the Future

The table has been set just for two tonight and it just feels different.

The kids are on a week-long camp/pilgrimage to Brisbane. It took a while for Orly and their college dean to convince me to allow our boys to join the trip as I am not prepared for it.  Not just yet. This is Seth’s first time to be away from home and the first time both of them will be out of our sight for almost a week! But with the persistence of two men and two very eager boys, a worrier mum’s heart can only melt and give in. With my eyes closed, praying hard for everything to turn out right, I nodded my head.  Slowly I tried to accept that there’s always a first time and that if the objective of the trip is to develop their prayer life at an early stage, then I should show them a good example and let God.

We packed their bags a week before and made last minute checks last night. Tons of instructions were given to Keith.. poor kuya, he has to look after his brother. The boys are excited, really looking forward to be with their mates, and of course the bonus side trip to the theme parks at Gold Coast!  This morning, the group attended a special mass for them by Cardinal Pell. They boarded the coasters and off they went (after a lot of kisses and squeezes)!!!

Orly and I headed to the car quietly.  Not a single word uttered. We know we can relax a bit and spend time together while the boys are away, which is a luxury for us here, but on the other hand, we are already missing them, our babies!!

We decided to have a massage, and we both snoozed off in the middle of the session. I really needed a good massage. That was rejuvenating indeed! We had lunch and went to see a movie – Railway Man. Quite heavy to take in, but I love the message – total forgiveness will free you and let you live life. Then we had our usual tour to the grocery. This time it was a bit smoother – no surprise additional items on my cart, phew!  It was a long day and we headed home.

I gathered the laundry from the side yard, while Orly unloaded the groceries from the car. He handed me some strawberries that he picked from his fruit and vegie garden. Then washed the dishes while I sorted the groceries. Together we prepared dinner. I cant hear the TV from the kitchen, no music nor singing, no boys fighting over gadgets nor unending stories and giggling. All I can hear were just the sound of water flowing in the sink and the sizzling in the pan. Then I broke the silence and asked Orly, “I wonder when our grandchildren will visit us?”.  He said he has the same thing in mind. It seems like a preview to that time in the not so distant future where we’ll spend our senior years with just the two of us.

I wrote about this day to help me remember my prayer today for the future. I pray that when that time comes when I can’t help but notice the wrinkles on my face, or when I already have the luxury of time to spend hours thinking how to spend my day, I hope and pray that I am happy spending each day growing old with my best friend Orly… That I am a contended mother of two lovely boys … That I can proudly say that I spent my younger years giving time and attention to people who matter the most in my life.

If there is one lesson this day brings to me, it is the realisation that we can’t bring back time, nor can we hold it still, but we always have a choice on how we want to use it. It is precious and it is ticking… it is time to invest our time better! I plan to start today so help me God!