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“Mamma, I can’t wait ‘til we leave for Nashville!" “Me, either, Baby Girl. We sure have some adventure ahead of
us, huh?" “And I’m going to see Hannah Montana – ye-e-e-aaaahhhh!!!" And just like two giggling little girls, we grab hands; jump
up and down while singing “The Best Of Both Worlds."
Just then daddy walks in from work, takes one look at his
girls and “rolls his eyes.’ He, the quiet one, has gotten used to “his girls"…
yeah, we can be pretty loud at times…. Although the trip is only scheduled for four days, there are
a lot of arrangements to be made on the home front. First task is to make sure
everything within my business is under control and deadlines are met. Next, that my
elderly father is cared for while my husband is at work. Then there are
groceries to stock up on and the pets: Shadow, our dog, Ona the Iguana, the
chickens and the rooster. “Gary, please remember that Ona only likes Romaine lettuce." “Romaine? Since when?" “And Shadow likes half and half: half a cup of dry food and
half of canned. And I have to give you a list of dad’s meds." “Judi, you’re only going to be away for four days – I
think I can handle it." Everything seems to working out fine except for one thing: I
still haven’t received the tickets and the concert is in four days! The tickets, purchased for my daughter’s birthday in August,
were promised 3 weeks prior to the date of the November 27th concert. Since Ms.
Montana is apparently more popular than the Beatles were (?) the price has
skyrocketed since then. When I finally contact the ticket broker to explain
my concern, I am assured that the tickets will be hand delivered to our hotel
the morning of the show. Now I breathe a sigh of relief -- everything really is in order. Two days before our trip, the phone rings. “Hello?" “Judi, this is Danielle. I am waiting for you in the hotel
lobby; I’ve got your tickets and are you ready for some great news?" Half listening, I reply, “Sure, what?" “The broker mistakenly sold your tickets and, as a
professional courtesy, he is replacing your tickets with second row on the
ground floor! You and your daughter will be so close to the stage that you will
see the sweat droplets falling from Hannah’s face!" “Oh, Danielle, that is great! Wait until I tell Laura!" “Well, it’s getting time for the show, do you want me to go
up to your room or will we meet in the lobby?" “Whatever is
easier for you. Would you believe I haven’t even packed yet and we’ve an eleven
hour drive to Nashville?" Silence. “Judi, you do know the concert is tonight, don’t you?" Laughing, I say, “What? No, no, Danielle. I have my calendar
marked for the 27th" “Judi, how far are you from the Sommet Center?" “Danielle, I’m still in South Carolina. We’re not leaving
for Nashville until Sunday." I hung up the phone in tears. Frantically, I grabbed my
invoice and read the bold letters: Miley Cyrus As Hannah Montana, friday November 23 at the sommit
center, nashville, tn. How could I have made such a mistake? This
concert, planned months ago, was my daughter’s dream; one she’s been counting
the days, the hours, the minutes and the seconds for until the event. How can I
break her heart? How can I look into my baby’s eyes and tell her that we’ve
missed the concert? My husband sat with us while I explained to Laura my
blunder. Before I could finish, Laura began to sob so deeply and immediately
ran to her bedroom. Heartbroken, I followed her, took her shaking body in my
arms and cried with my daughter. “Mommy’s so sorry, Baby Girl, so sorry. Please forgive
me." Still sobbing, Laura looked into my eyes and directly
asked, “Mamma, how could you mix up Friday from Tuesday?" “I don’t know, honey, but I am so sorry, so very, very
sorry." We stayed in each other’s arms for what seemed hours and
suddenly my baby quickly released herself from me and picked my head up with
her little hands. “It’s ok, mommy, honest. I am very sad but I love you so
much and I forgive you." Later, when we are both calmer, we decide to still go to
Nashville and explore the area. Tonight, as my little girl sleeps soundly in my arms, I
thank God for her and her beautiful, pure, loving heart. Being a parent is not
always about teaching but learning as well. I think of the passage when Jesus
said, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all," and
wonder if the world would be a more peaceful, forgiving place if our hearts
really were like a child's. |
