I wanted to grab them both and shake them!!

What a perfect day for an icecream it was today. Not too hot so the ice cream melted in the cone but warm enough that the ice cream cools the tongue.

A woman in her late thirties sat at a bench waiting for her companion to finish the last licks of his sundae. He was 12 ish; and didnt bother to take the huge packpack off his shoulders while he hunched over his bowl at the out door table of the ice cream stand. It appeared to be a back-pack guitar case. It made sense, since there is a guitar lesson sign in the window across the street, to assume the boy had come from a guitar lesson.

After reminding him to toss his knapkins and trash in the barrell, the woman got up and bundled her well worn tote bag to her shoulder. Well worn was everything she donned. I could practically see through the too tight yoga pants she pulled on, and the faded tee shirt she unsuccessfully attempted to cover herself with looked to be the same age of the boy.

The boy kicked at rocks with his shiney new no-name sneakers as the pair made their way to the buss stop. In jeans and new tee-shirt he stood at the buss stop sign in front of the icecream stand. They didnt say a word to each other. They held a certain constant distance, but stayed close as they shuffled around silently. Every once in a while they would look up from their shoes but never made eye contact.

The fact that they appeared to be humbled by life cast a glow on their apparent insecurity.

I wanted to grab them both and shake them. "Don't stand there ashamed that your mother is out of shape and her cloths are well worn!" I wanted to shake into the boy. "She goes without new cloths and fancy finger nails to take you to a guitar lesson. She schleps you on the bus and rewards your arrogance with an icecream!" Alas, he is too young to understand how much more her love is worth in her troubles. I am guessing she probably will not process the value of her adorning love until he is older. I beleive the day will come when he will say "Thanks Mom, I dont know how you did it;" and she will reply "Thats love, and you son, I love."
Love is not what you give or what you get, its what you are willing to overcome for the benefit of another person. How blessed these two are. Richly blessed memories will propel that lucky young man to a life full of love and reciprocity.