The Light

Last night I was watching my new favorite show, The Unit. It's this crazy military show about these guys who are special agents of some sort and their families that are having to live in the witness protection program. Anyway....last night's episode was a continuation of last week. One of the special agent's daughters was kidnapped. She is in the military as well. The show basically consisted of the agents rescuing this young woman. The mother of the young woman wanted to help, but couldn't because it could blow her cover. So, they sent this scientist woman to talk to her. She explained that some family members have this special bond that extends the physical realm. She compared it to the theory that some twins can actually feel each other's pain. So she asked the mom to go back through her memories of her daughter and find a time when they really connected, good or bad. She thought back to this time when the girl was young and the car broke down with just the mother and the little girl. They were in a bad neighborhood and a guy was trying to break the back window of the car. The Mom told the little girl that she was going to get out and talk to the man, then they were going to walk to the phone booth just down the street to call Daddy. She then told the little girl to lock the door and not to open it for anyone but her. The Mom then went to the back of the car, gave the man her purse and wedding ring, and then matter-of-factly told the man they were going to walk to the pay phone. The Mom then went to get the little girl out of the car and they both slowly walked to the pay phone. The Mom was confidently reminding her daughter that everything was going to be all right, just walk slowly to the light (of the phone booth), and to not look back. The young woman was rescued by her father and the agents and then the Mother got word immediately. She thanked the scientist woman and said she didn't know if it actually helped her daughter, but it helped her get her mind off the present situation. When the Mom was reunited with the daughter, the young woman said, "Mom I remembered what you always told me. I stayed strong and walked toward the light."

This crazy TV show reminded me of a time when I had to be super strong for my daughter when I didn't want to. I wanted someone else to take over and make things better, but only I could do it. Thank goodness with God's strength I was able to do it. When Mae was a baby my mother and I had to take her to see a doctor in another state. In order to get there in time we had to leave very early. It was still dark out and unbelievably foggy. The fog got thicker and denser the further we drove. I could not see a thing. We couldn't pull the car off the road because someone else could come along and hit us. I got so scared. All I wanted to do was curl up and let someone else take charge. Then we saw it. It was a faint small light. It was the tail light of an 18 wheeler up ahead. Mother and I prayed and followed that light. Those two tiny red tail lights were the only things we could see. God had given me the strength to go on by giving me a light to follow. The situation reminded me of all that I had to go through to get her help. I felt I had to be strong for her and to do anything in the world for her. I have told her this story and will again many times. I hope that she will remember it when she has to be strong for her own children one day.

Now, of course, I don't believe in these crazy powers, but I do believe that we give gifts to our children in our parenting and in our everyday life. God offers little miracles every day and if we share them they continue to give us and the ones we love around us the strength we need in those times when all we have to follow is a little light.