Exquisite Moments

By Sharon Poppen

Day-to-day mother-hood may be compared to pushing a pea up the side of Mr. Everest.  But, occasionally, there are exquisite moments that make it all worthwhile.  Let me share one of those with you.

I was stuck in rush hour traffic and playing my nightly game with my six-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son.  I had just picked them up from their after school care center.  As a single mother, I knew it was imperative to keep abreast of what my kids were doing and thinking.

The game went as follows.  I'd ask them four questions.  What was the best thing that happened to you today?  What was the worst thing that happened? What was the prettiest thing you saw today?  What was the ugliest thing you saw today?  Rules were that any answer would be okay, except 'I don't know' or 'nothing'.  It amazed me how much I learned from these simple questions and how much trouble I was able to avoid by knowing the sights, sounds and feelings that made an impression on my children.

Kimberly was telling me that her class was going to do a Christmas play. And, the best thing that had happened to her was that she’d been chosen to play Mary.  She gushed on that Charles Sanchez was to be Joseph.  Charles and she had been in preschool together and she had a little crush on him. She was very excited and babbled on for a few minutes.

My bubble of joy at Kimberly's news was quickly burst.  Rob's best thing was that his teacher hadn't  caught him and his friend Felix when they tied a classmate’s braids together in the lunchroom.

Weeks went by and every so often, Kimberly would update me on the progress of the play.  Her only concern was that the performance was to be in the afternoon.  She was afraid I wouldn't be able to get off work.  I assured her I would be there.

The day and hour of the play found me sitting in the school lunchroom that had been converted into a playhouse.  Rows of metal chairs were filling up with parents and grandparents.

The principal opened the festivities by welcoming everyone, then introduced various classes that took the stage for a carol or two, a reading of 'The Night Before Christmas' and some Santa Claus songs.  Finally, she announced that the students would be performing a short play based on The Nativity. While the children were taking their place, I boasted with pride to those nearby that my daughter was playing the part of Mary.  My head felt so big that I worried about the people behind me being able to see the play.

The play began with angels and shepherds strolling about the stage.  One cute little blond shepherd managed a slight wave in my direction as he herded some construction-papered, two-legged sheep toward the edge of the scene.  Mary and Joseph entered holding hands and leading a construction-papered donkey.  More carols were sung as Mary and Joseph folded their hands in prayer and stared into an empty manger.

I was surprised to see that it was not Charles who was playing the part of Joseph.  Apparently, Charles had taken ill.  I was also a little embarrassed to see some animated whispering between Mary and Joseph.  It was not loud enough to be heard over the carols, but it was obvious they were having words.  Several angels took center stage and sang 'The First Noel'.  When they exited, there was a baby in the manger.  The angels, shepherds and sheep formed a half circle in back of the Holy Family and in walked the three wise men.

Mary and Joseph were still whispering.  I must admit, I didn't like the smirk on Joseph's face.  Just as the last wise man laid his goblet of gold in front of the manger, Mary reached over, picked up Baby Jesus and bopped Joseph on the head.  She pulled the baby to her for a hug, then laid it back in the manger.  The play continued.

After the shock of what they'd seen wore off, giggles and stifled laughter infested the audience.  I got a couple of playful jabs.  I searched for a hole to crawl into.

The last five minutes of the play lasted an hour, or so it seemed.  Once bows were taken, the children were dismissed to find their parents and take them to the desert table for homemade goodies and punch.  My little shepherd apparently only heard about the desert table and forgot mom.  My little Mary, bathed in a beatific smile, headed my way.

"I remembered all my lines," she beamed.

"And then some," I added.  "Why did you bop Joseph over the head with the baby."

"Because he was being a bugger."

Many of my fellow attendees stayed nearby to see the infamous Mary. "Kimberly!  That's not a nice word."

"Well, he was."

"What did he do or say that made you hit him?"

"He said the play was dumb.  That Santa was what Christmas was all about.  I told him he was wrong, but he said I was wrong.  I told him Charles didn't think so.  Then he said Charles was just as dumb as the baby Jesus doll. That's when I hit him and told him Charles wasn't dumb and neither was baby Jesus."  She grinned up at me.  "Now can we get some cookies?”

My heart was in my throat as I heard those around me uttering 'aw' and 'so cute'.  I took Kimberly's hand and we headed for her well-deserved treats. I couldn't have eaten a thing.  I was savoring the exquisite feeling of pride, love and satisfaction of motherhood.

The End

Bio:

Sharon Poppen, Lake Havasu City, AZ - author of ‘After the War, Before the

Peace’ a novel of historical fiction and ‘Hannah’ a western on-line serial

(www.virtualtales.com). Awards - Arizona Authors Association, National

League of American Pen Women.  Contact at poppen@citlink.net

Rachel Tibbitts is the publisher of the quarterly Bad Mother Chronicles: A Collaborative Chapbook on the Art of Mothering Well. She received an MFA from the Stonecoast Creative Writing Program, and lives with her family in midcoast Maine. Visit Rachel and her community of empowered parents at www.badmotherchronicles.com.