They are sitting in the booth across from me. A frail elderly man, a middle aged woman, and a young woman with a developmental disability. They are out for a celebratory holiday meal together. She orders waffles. He has a small senior meal. Her voice is loud with excitement. They don’t notice because they are too busy loving her.
As soon as the plates are cleared, they bring out a big bag of Christmas presents. She opens each one and let’s out a squeal of delight and claps her hands. A makeup bag. A bracelet. A t-shirt. Pajamas. Through overheard comments, I’ve come to understand what’s happening. Dad is here, perhaps from out of town, visiting his daughter. She has been accompanied to the restaurant by her caregiver. The love between these two is palpable across the room.
The inevitable occurs. Their little reunion celebration is ending and it’s time to go. She turns to her dad and says, “You’ll see me on Thanksgiving, won’t you?!” And he mumbles something unintelligible, his frail shoulders sinking with the weight of emotion. Her face crumbles and with a breaking heart, she weeps openly. She understands she’s out in public. This is a restaurant. A special place. She tries so hard to regain her composure. The old man carefully takes off her glasses and gently, lovingly wipes away her tears. He slowly cleans her glasses and puts them back on her sweet face and strokes her cheek. She takes a couple of breaths and looks up into his sad eyes and says, “Don’t worry, daddy. They’re happy tears. They’re happy tears.” He pats her hand, this beautiful child of his.
I turn away. I don’t want them to see my own tears as I hear her bravely say, “It’s ok. I’m happy now. It’s ok, daddy.”
As we get into the business of gathering our loved ones around us this week, let’s not forget there are those less fortunate. When we get upset that the turkey’s dry, or Aunt Betty is pissing everybody off, or the kids spilled something on the carpet, AGAIN…let’s remember a young woman who cried because she doesn’t get to be with her daddy for Thanksgiving. I know I won’t. I’ll never forget this moment…ever.
❤️
“Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”
Matthew 15:29-31 NIV