Two nights ago, we had a frost that killed some plants in our garden - basil, pumpkins, maybe the beans? although we're hoping they recover - while leaving others unscathed - onions, peas, etc. Today our temperatures reached into the upper 80s. What a strange fluctuation!
Since the weather was so beautiful this morning, the outdoors beckoned to me; and after I got Moriah tucked in bed for her morning nap, I headed out to finish the task of transplanting some lilies to my parents' flowerbed. As always, I had a little helper. :) Tobin was gone with Jeff for their monthly breakfast date, but Shav stuck with me and dug in the soil with a little shovel when I used a big shovel, asked for (and received) rides in the wheelbarrow, and generally added to the sunshine of the morning.
After I had loaded up the wheelbarrow with lilies and was taking my first trip down to my parents', I rounded the corner of their house and saw my neighbor Wilma across the lane, planting some flowers in her flowerbed that surrounds her husband's business sign. She had a little helper with her, too--her son Jason.
My thoughts flew...
I remember, back in 2008, telling her that I was pregnant with our fourth child; and that even though Tobin was still so young and we were so surprised to discover I was pregnant, we were very excited about it, too. And then she told me, in hushed tones, that she was pregnant, too. In their Old Order Mennonite culture, they do not announce pregnancies publicly like we do or even talk about them much in the early stages, so I knew she was going against the norm to even tell me at that point. But I was delighted for her and felt so privileged that she confided her secret to me. Most of all, I was thrilled that she and I would get to be pregnant at the same time!
I remember, in June of 2009, walking over to her house and meeting her newborn son Jason for the first time. As I held him in my arms, I looked forward with great longing to meeting my own newborn son or daughter (we didn't find out that time), due just a few weeks later.
I remember, in July of 2009, that when my water broke and we needed to head to the hospital in the early morning hours, Wilma was the one we called on to stay with our other children. She heard the news in that excited phone call from the hospital that we had had a boy!!!
I remember, that summer of '09, seeing Wilma's Jason and my Shav together and thinking that they looked so much alike...and then hearing Wilma saying that exact same thing.
I remember, in the years since then, experiencing the joys of mothering Shav and enduring some challenges, too. I watched Wilma do the same with her son. Sometimes I wasn't even sure Jason would survive, what with his penchant for wandering away from the house and getting close to the road and being in the way of tractors and the like. Sometimes I wasn't sure I would survive Shav's sleep interruptions!
But survive we all did, and this morning, there we were, two mamas, each with a boy of '09.
On one side of the lane, Wilma with her cape dress and bonnet. On the other side, me with my blue jeans, American flag on my t-shirt, and sunhat.
On one side of the lane, Jason with his cute little Mennonite boy hat and button-up shirt. On the other side, Shav with his...well, take a look at him...
But despite our differences in appearance and lifestyle, Wilma and I have so much in common...
...particularly our love for the wonderful, precious, adorable, sometimes mischievous, always cherished boys God gave us in the spectacular summer of '09!
What a wonderful post! It sounds like you both of amazing boys.
ReplyDeleteLovely! What a blessing to have friends like that :)
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