During my dad’s birthday party, one of the guests was seated on a couch as my sister and I engaged in a discussion with our aunt who we had not seen in a few years. We can be a loud crew and with two other conversations going on in the room, it was a bit crazy. During this, my mom walks over and sits next to this guest and asks her if she’s following what’s going on in the conversation. She got partitioned off from the other guests and was listening in to our conversation but not really participating.
My mom starts a new conversation with the guest making sure she feels welcomed. That was one of the things I always admired about my mom—she would always seek out the individual in a crowd and greet them. As an Army brat who moved around quite a bit, I grew up being the single person in a crowd that had no one to talk to many times. Once I integrated, I always made sure to seek out and welcome the loner.
It’s these moments that always confuse me. One day, my mom can’t navigate simple household payments, and today, she’s moving around the room making sure each guest is welcomed and enjoys their visit. Apparently she still has some things to teach me. Humbled.