Fellow Warriors

"So, Mom," Drew said. "I invited a few friends over. They're gonna go see Spiderman 3 with us tomorrow (Drew had spent his birthday money on advance tickets for the two of us). I told them they could come over afterwards to swim and have something to eat." Drew has been patiently waiting for this premiere for weeks. Too bad he doesn't get this excited about studies or reading! I groaned. I had other plans for the day - Saturdays I need to clean the house, do the laundry, pay the bills.

So I had only figured on a couple of hours for the movie, not a whole day of company. And there was nothing in the house to eat since I hadn't been shopping yet. Last thing I want to do is entertain a house full of teenage boys. But he had already invited them, so there was no help for it. I have to say I wasn't too happy.

I got up at 6am to start the cleaning and laundry. I wanted to pack more stuff. "Lord, I need help!" Somehow, things went along better than I could have hoped. I got all the winter clothes cleaned and packed, did another box of books, and one of accessory stuff. Not bad. Drew's laundry was finished before I made him haul out at the crack of 9am. We got the house cleaned and vacuumed, ran a few errands, took care of the garbage, and got groceries before the 12:30 departure time for the movie. We even had time for lunch, and I made Drew dance impatiently while I fixed a half a turkey sandwich and munched strawberries (buy 1 get 1 free at Big Y).

By rights I should have been exhausted, but I wasn't too worn out. Maybe I would even stay awake for this movie. Then Drew dropped the bomb. I have been so self centered that it didn't occur to me that perhaps Drew had his reasons for asking these kids to spend time at the pool. Turns out, he had an ulterior motive.

As we were driving to the theater, he quietly said, "My friend's Mom is a lot like you. She is a single parent raising two kids by herself and she has cancer too." The arrow zinged right into my heart and I immediately lost all my irritation with Drew's planning my day for me when I just wanted to think about myself.

When I met her, I recognized right away the tiredness in her eyes, the thinning and limp hair, the gray wrinkled skin. She was pleasant and happy for her son to spend some time with friends, and that I was willing to be the designated parent. My whole attitude changed. I wondered how many other women are in the same shoes - alone, cancer, raising kids. Lots I bet.

When we got home, the kids headed for Drew's room and the video games. They had a grand time yakking and swapping tall tales. Then we headed for the clubhouse for a swim and a round of computer games. I was proud to be able to offer these young men an afternoon of fun that they would not have otherwise have had. They whooped and hollered and splashed about, tossing a ball and jumping in like cannon balls. I had to drag them away for dinner. Tired and happy, they all trouped back to the apartment for hot dogs and chips and soda.

Despite my initial grumpiness, it turned out to be a decent day. God gave me energy and helped me get things done. Drew was happy. His friends had a good time, and Drew's friend's Mom got a short reprieve (whether she wanted it or not). All in all, it was a good day.