JUST THE TWO OF US by Snowflake

 

Just the Two of Us

            Soft candle light spreads onto the dinner table. There is a white table cloth, the color I always like, a pair of large plates, two salad and desert bowls, wine glasses and silverware.

            “Dinner is ready.”  I sat on a chair.

            Suddenly I felt Jesus sitting near by.  He smiled at me. We began to eat salad, steamed broccoli and vegetable sushi rolls together.  I fixed salmon for I think Jesus also likes to eats fish.

            It happened last Christmas, and it was the most calm, quiet, and peaceful dinner I have ever had.

            My children are grown up and on their own.  Two of my children live far away so they can’t come home often. How could a single mom whose children are absent survive especially during the holidays?

            When I am working, I am very busy. I get up at 5:00 am, dance tango for thirty minutes,   take a shower, read my Bible, pray and eat breakfast.  Then I leave my house at 7:00 am. After working all day, I come home tired.  I eat supper, read, check the mail, and then go to sleep.  But during a holiday or long weekend I miss my children.  At first I felt lonely, but then I had an idea. Why not invite Jesus! He could visit me from heaven in a split second!  I am not alone.

            As a single mom, I went to school to be a dental hygienist.  I worked hard in order to support myself and my children.

            “Mom, you are always working.  I never see you relax, so I don’t know how to relax either,” my son used to say.

            Usually children do not follow what their parents say, but they do what their parents do. Every time I studied, my children studied as well. I didn’t have to tell them to study.  Both of my children became very hard workers.  Fortunately, my daughter knows how to relax.

            Now, with my children gone, I don’t have to work like crazy anymore. At last I have time to write.  Yes, writing is my passion. On my day off, I get up and start writing.  I write until noon, I sometimes with my pajamas still on.  Then I shower, eat lunch and go back to writing. When it rains or snows, I drink hot chocolate and read all day. 

            I also like to cook. Once in a while I invite my friends, set my table beautifully and cook.  Presentation is very important when we eat. That I learned while I worked at a restaurant. I used to work five to seven days a week.  I was always very tired so when I had time, I just wanted to sleep. I am glad those days are gone as I do not have the energy to work like crazy anymore.

            Recently I missed something.

            I am sixty years old, and use no medication. I don’t get sick often, but when I work all day I feel so tired. Many women my age still work full time and take care of their husbands.  I wonder how they are able to do this.         

            One of my friends, my age, works full-time, takes care of her husband and her three big dogs. She is always exhausted and often gets sick on the weekend. 

            I know life is hard however I am content to stay single, and I am satisfied with my life.  I am healthy.  I can write. I can eat. I have a place to live.  I can read. I have a job. I have friends.  I can see. I can walk. I can swim. I can dance.  I can sing.  I have two wonderful children. God’s blessings are countless.

            From now on I will have dinner with Jesus, my best friend, often. Someday I will see Him in heaven.  The Bible says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

***Snowflake enjoys writing in both Japanese and English. She has published over twenty articles in several magazines and the Virginian-Pilot newspaper before she published her first book, historical fiction, The Three Survivors. She has done her second historical fiction, Otama. Writing is her missionary work, her own way and her own expense. She is a member of Virginia Beach Writers, Hampton Roads Writers and James River Writers. A registered dental hygienist, she currently lives in Virginia Beach, VA.

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