Mother's Day 2014... A Long Time Coming

Aah, Mother’s Day. A day empty-nesters cherish, remembering the years with our children when they were youngsters.

Believe it or not, there was a time I thought I would never get to spend another Mother’s Day with my kids. Divorce can make a sane person think such things, especially when her soul is downcast.

I’m thankful such thoughts are rubbish. And I’m so thankful for God’s healing power in my life.

The last time I spent this special day with my son was seven years ago. This year is the first time in awhile my daughter and I will not be together. However, look what she posted on Facebook!

My senior picture from high school in New Jersey (on the left).
My mother-in-law, Kate Williams (upper right).
My mom, Jean Gallagher (lower right).

Rebecca, you make a momma’s heart happy.

I’ve included some photos from this past weekend with my son.

Zak took this photo of me standing in front of my alma mater in New Jersey.

We spent some time at a boardwalk on the Jersey shore.

 

 

Zak's a health-food junkie, but he had a hankering to try fried Oreo cookies.
One was enough.

 

 

For any pop-culture buffs out there, name the popular tourist attraction of recent years shown below. The place warrants having an ATM machine placed out front!

You're correct if you guessed the locale of the TV reality show "Jersey Shore."

Here are some more shots from a side trip to visit my nephew.

My nephew Chris gave me a tour of
the New London Submarine Base
in Connecticut where he is training.

 

We lunched at the Mystic Pizza place made famous
by the Julia Roberts movie of the same name.

 

Shopping at the Olde Mistick Village in Mystic, CT.
Not sure if the crest stenciled on this mug is the authentic "Gallagher" coat of arms.

I also had the hair-brained idea to visit Nantucket on my drive home, but...

My view as the last ferry boat of the day headed out to the island.
Oh well, that excursion will have to wait for another time.

My Son's Farewell

There’s nothing like the feeling in a mother’s heart as she hugs her grown child good-bye. My son, Zak, finally graduated from college in May and accepted a job fifteen-hundred miles away in northeastern Pennsylvania.

We met this morning for breakfast at a diner in Dallas before his long drive to Scranton.  

While I forked my eggs smothered in some sort of cream sauce, he talked about his recent vacation boating around the Florida Keys with his dad.

Zak saw the excitement in my eyes as I relayed how I love interviewing people and writing their stories. I laughed a lot, enjoying his company, but avoiding the inevitable—saying good-bye.

He'd been living in Lubbock and attending Texas Tech since his high school graduation several years ago. And although I didn’t get to see him as much as I would have liked, it was comforting to know he was only six hours away in the same state.

Mary Gallagher Williams with her son, Zak, in December 2010

Now he’s leaving. Not exactly leaving the nest, but leaving no doubt. In that moment as he got into his car, I had to remind myself he’s a man now. The world is his oyster.

Moisture brimmed from my eyes as I watched him drive away in his Ford Mustang. He didn’t look back. If he had, he would have seen my chin quivering as I swiped the tears away.

I prayed what probably every parent in every generation prior to mine has prayed as they stood in my same shoes: Lord, protect my son and guide him.