Mother's Day ~ Random Memory #11 ~ Virginia & Connecticut

Random Memory #11 ~ JCB at Jame's Madison's Montpelier.

JCB has not yet reached her first birthday, but she is scooting very efficiently all around our apartment in Alexandria, Virginia. Completely besotted, I can scarcely tear my eyes away from my cheerful and easygoing baby. I am watching the day she learns to pull herself up to a standing position in front of our coffee table. She teeters on her tiny feet while a small hand reaches for the objects in front of her and with incredible deliberation, shifts everything around until she is satisfied. With a plop, JCB falls to a sitting position on her padded diapered bottom. Her arrangement looks beautiful!


Random Memory #11 ~ Connecticut

While in Hong Kong, we bought one of the first personal computers available and that big clunky machine quickly became our son's obsession. In truth, Peter and I and JCB hardly bothered with it in those early days. By the time we returned to the U.S., John was already way ahead of his peers and was creating his online magic; he had also established a network of like minded enthusiasts. One of these was a fellow called Randy, and I became uneasy as Randy's and John's lively correspondence increased. Randy's stories of SWAT team adventures and police activity seemed fabricated and I wondered if it was all fiction. He would promise to stop by our house to meet John only to cancel, time after time, with the excuse of yet another wild operation. I knew John was terribly disappointed, but he remained fiercely loyal and optimistic that Randy would someday appear at our door for that long awaited visit.

At last, Randy did arrive with a spray of driveway gravel and the deafening sound of a very big motorcycle. His huge body filled the storm door glass window, but his smile was warm and friendly and his dark African American eyes instantly conveyed that he was the real deal. Later, we saw photos and news articles about Randy in the papers. He emailed John to say someone shot him point blank when he stopped their car on the Connecticut Thruway. He had some broken ribs, but the bulletproof vest saved his life.

John went off to college, married and is now a father and I am very proud of his accomplishments. I do know this; a mother can lavish praise on her son, but what he really needs is a mentor and heroic role model. Thank you Randy, wherever you are.

As a postscript; there are many different kinds of "heroic role models" and most do not wear bulletproof vests. If you have ever inspired a child, then you have this mother's gratitude. If every child had just one hero, every day would be Mother's Day.