Mama in Scotland

 

Once upon a time we moved from Arkansas to Scotland.

It was a long, long way away and we did not know what to expect.

My mama bought a ticket to come and see us before we had even left Arkansas.

She made plans to visit before even knew where she would sleep.

In fact, she arrived even before we knew where we would sleep.

She arrived a few weeks after we did, and in the midst of a crazy storm of emotions.

Children were in new schools.

Adults were learning to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Children and adults were adjusting.

Some less gracefully than others.

And she cheered us on.

She walked to school with the kids and to the store with me. She helped me turn a tiny flat into a home.

She went with us to visit our very first castle.

And to visit the church we now call home.

Then she flew back to Arkansas.

She came again at Christmas.

This time with my dad.

For the two darkest, coldest, and possibly wettest weeks of the year.

They two of them together were the best Christmas present ever.

A year passed and we went home to visit and then she came again in the spring.

For three weeks.

We drove all over Aberdeenshire on little tiny ribbons masquerading as roads.

She was amazed at how I had learned to navigate driving in Scotland.

We went for walks in forests and along the rocky cliffs of the coast.

We bundled up against the North Sea winds and took a train journey.

Then she flew back to Arkansas.

After almost another whole year, she came back again.

Four times she has taken the multiple plane rides stitched together to make an all day (or all night) journey from her home to mine.

This last time she stayed for a month.

We went to some of the same spots and a few new ones.

We had many bowls of soup.

And even more pots of tea.

We went on a weekend adventure to the Lake District and on many smaller adventures around Aberdeen.

We talked about the unknown future, even though there is not much to say but only to wait.

And to pray.

And to wait some more.

But no matter where we go,

one thing I know…

Mama will come to see us.

She will bring her special blend of adoring grandma and endearing companion.

She will make us all feel loved.

And she will make us remember we are not alone in a strange new world.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!