November Gratitude, part the fifth

Tonight Thomas and I had a piano recital. The whole piano thing is still a pretty new concept. I still get a little excited when I see ours sitting in the corner of the living room, taking up space. I think it's interesting that while Thomas, Shane and I will remember a time before we had the piano, Ben will grow up thinking that we always had one, that his mom and brother have just always played the piano.

It makes me think that we don't really know our loved ones as well as we think we do. But I'm getting off topic.

So tonight as I waited for my turn to play, I kept checking the door. I'd invited both my mom and my mother-in-law to come to watch. I knew that both of them would be late, so I kept checking the door and the spaces next to Shane to see if they were occupied. A few minutes after the recital started, I saw my mother-in-law sitting next to her son. I waved and felt warm that she had come.

But I kept watching the door. I was waiting for my mom.

I thought about it as I listened to the stream of adults and children playing music. I thought how even though I'm 33, I still am excited to have my mom come and see me. How that part of us doesn't go away, no matter the relationship we have or how old we are or what we are doing. We still get excited to see that special woman who gave us life clapping for us in the audience. Our hearts go a little soft knowing that she is there for us, again, watching our painful piano playing, and knowing she's proud of us for doing it.

I knew exactly when she came in. I heard her, but I could feel her a little too. Suddenly, there she was, sandwiched between my husband and my husband's mom. I knew I could stop watching the door then, that everything was okay.

Because my mom came to watch me play.

Thanks, Mom.