A Mother’s Determination

A Mother’s Determination

The screech of the car tires on the busy street in front of our house struck a deep sense of terror into my wife’s heart. You know how it is with mothers. Our two daughters, aged 10 and 7 had asked for permission to go to the grocery store in the strip mall across the street for candy or some childish treat. Permission was granted if they crossed at the crosswalk at the light. Our older daughter was plenty responsible for the trip for the two of them.

But on the way home, the direct route across the street straight toward the house was so much more convenient than going to the corner light. They had crossed the two lanes of traffic coming from the left and a friendly motorist on the inside lane of the traffic approaching from the right had stopped and motioned the two cute little girls across, forgetting about that dangerous outside lane. Our older daughter had told her younger sister to wait but the younger saw the motion from the kindly motorist who had stopped and she darted across the outside lane. The screaming brakes, the horror in my wife’s heart. The accident was so close to a tragedy but the car only hit the running child’s hand, knocking the candy bar out of it and drove chilling fear into her heart. She wept and shook for thirty minutes on my wife’s lap.

Determination rose in my wife’s heart. “We’re moving off this busy street”, she determined. That very day or the next, she loaded herself into the car and began her search. We built a house on the lot she found. We’ve lived there for thirty years this summer. She decided, she followed through and determination built a house. Determination gets the job done.