"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
-Proverbs 1:8-9
October 5, 2008 - My wedding
There are moments in our life that stand out in stark contrast to our everyday experiences. These moments can live on and shape us for a lifetime.
I want to share one of those moments in my life.
I'm not quite sure of the year, but I was a little boy. I must have been in kindergarten or first grade - whenever you learn to write your name.
I was outside playing on a beautiful, sunny day and decided that I should show my mother how well I could write my name. We had an RV parked in our backyard and I saw a can of spray paint. So, I picked up the spray paint and wrote "Jason M. Fountain" in large letters on the side of the RV. I'm still not sure what went through my mind to make me think that writing with paint on a vehicle would ever be okay.
Anyway...in my elation at correctly writing my name, I went inside to tell my mother. I brought my mother outside to see my creation and immediately knew that I had done something very wrong.
What happened next is what made an indelible mark on my life and affects me to this day. My mother, without a cross word to me (as far as I remember), simply went into the house found a cleaner and came out and scrubbed the paint off of the RV.
Just as clear as day, I can see little Jason standing off to the side watching his mother clean the RV. I knew I had made a terrible mistake, but I also knew that my mother loved me more than the mistake and forgave me in an instant. As I think back to the sight of my mother scrubbing the RV without a negative comment, it brings tears to my eyes. She taught me about grace, love, and compassion by her actions in a way that telling me about them never could have.
On this Mother's Day, I honor my Mother.
Mom, I love you. Thank you for teaching me about love, grace, and compassion.
3 comments:
Jason, love the post! If only we could live our lives with the same grace, patience, and love. Keep up the great writing man!
This was wonderful and touching. My mom taught me so many things, it would be hard to nail down one. :)
David & Amy,
Thank you for the comments. Although my mom taught me many things (and continues to do so), this was one of my first memories that made such an impression on me.
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