Priceless Moments
Last Friday night was a rainy night.
I picked up Jonathan from Cross Country practice at 6:15, and we headed into Lexington to get his haircut and find him something to wear to the Ky State Fair Talent Search the next day.
Since it was raining so hard, we went through a drive thru and ate our dinner in the car. As we sat in the car, we talked about the school day and our plans for the evening.
I was taking Jonathan to Dillard’s Hair Salon for a “special” hair cut. We usually get his hair cut at Great Clips, but he is all about his hair right now and was thrilled to be going to a “real” hair salon.
I sat and worked on my computer while he got his hair cut. He is looking so old right now. He has turned fifteen, his voice has deepened, and he is finally taller than me. I watched him interact with the hair dresser, and I was full of pride as I watched how respectful he was to her.
After his haircut, we went downstairs to the men’s department and started looking at the clothes. They were having an AWESOME sale, so we stuck to the sale racks to try and find something for him to wear. He probably tried on a dozen pair of pants and matched them with different shirts. He wanted to look a little more dressy than he normally does for his performances. I sat in the dressing room with him, and we laughed and cut up as he tried on his clothes. It brought back memories of all the times my mom sat in the dressing room with me while I tried on clothes.
I was blown away with how handsome Jonathan was all dressed up! (Yes, I’m bragging.) I’ve always thought Jonathan was good-looking. But seeing him dressed up and looking so old, man, it made this mama’s heart skip a beat and made me scared to death at the same time. I have a feeling I will be fighting the girls away soon. :)
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anything that we liked, and we ventured out to the “non-sale” racks. Of course, we found something we loved! :)
We got him a dressy pair of gray jeans and a button down to go with it. As I paid for the clothes, I said something like, “Your dad is going to kill me. This is way more than I planned on spending.”
Again, I thought of Mom and how many times I heard her say the same thing to me. It touched a tender spot in my heart.
The store was closing, so we didn’t have time to find shoes or a belt. Plus, I really didn’t have the money. I told him we would see if any of his shoes at home would work.
We drove all the way home and talked some more about the competition the next day.
Saturday morning, we got up early and drove an hour and a half to Louisville for the State Fair. He had to be there at 11:30 to check in and then go through rehearsals.
The competition wasn’t until 7:00 pm that night. It was going to be a looooong day.
Before his rehearsals, we went in a room by ourselves, and I listened to him sing his songs. I gave him pointers and positive feedback.
He did a great job during rehearsals. He performed in front of the other contestants which I am sure was nerve wrecking, but he did a great job.
After rehearsals, we left the fair grounds and went to get some lunch. It was about 1:30, and we still had about 5 hours until the competition.
We ate lunch at Chili’s, and we had a lot more laughs and great conversations. I love having “adult” conversations with Jonathan. He’s not a child anymore. We talk about important things now like relationships, faith, dreams, and life. I am proud of who Jonathan is, what he stands for, and his positive outlook on life. He is truly a joy to be around.
After we ate, we went to the mall to see if we could find some shoes for him to wear. I thought how funny it was that we were still trying to put together his outfit just a few hours before the actual competition! I know that all of the girls in the competition probably had their outfits planned out weeks, if not months, ahead of the competition. Boys are so laid back, and I LOVE it!
While we were shopping for some shoes, we met one of my blog readers! She recognized me AND Jonathan, and it was so great to talk and connect with her. She was precious!
We finally found some shoes for Jonathan on sale at Penny’s, and we got a belt on sale too. We finally had his whole outfit, and I thought he looked like a million bucks!
Cy had been feeling under the weather, so he stayed home and then met us that night for the competition.
The place was packed! Probably over 1,000 people!
Before the show, I went backstage again with him to listen to him practice some more.
There were some of the other contestants backstage and a few of them got together for a prayer. As Jonathan held hands with complete strangers and prayed together, my heart was so full of joy. I listened to Jonathan as he prayed, and I thank God that we live in a place where we are free to pray anytime and anywhere.
We stood facing each other, with our foreheads bowed and touching, and our arms on each other’s shoulders. I prayed for God to give him a peace and to remind him that the most important thing was to Glorify Him. It didn’t matter whether he won or lost as long as he knew that He mattered to God. Life is so much more than competitions.
After we prayed, he thanked me and gave me a big hug. And I thought to myself, “Priceless.”
We all had butterflies in our stomach as we sat and watched the first few contestants. Jonathan was number eight, so he went back stage around act number four. I couldn’t wait to hear him perform!
When he came on stage, he looked adorable and started off great! But when he missed a couple of chords on his guitar, his nerves got the best of him and he said he “froze.” He said he didn’t know if he was singing the right words or playing the right notes, and I could tell it too. Now, I don’t know if the audience really did notice, because he DID remember all of the words, and he played most of the chords perfectly. But I could see in his face that he was nervous, and he didn’t perform to his best potential.
After his performance, he came and sat with Cy and I. He didn’t say much. He knew he wouldn’t place. He knew it wasn’t his best performance. I kept encouraging him and telling him it was alright. Tears filled up in his eyes.
And then he leaned over to me and said, “Mom, I am so sorry. You’ve spent all this money on me this weekend…”
I stopped him mid sentence and pulled his head to my shoulder. “Jonathan, stop. This weekend was PRICELESS to me! I would spend a million dollars to have this time with you again! You cannot put a price tag on the memories we made and the fun we had together these past two days. Most moms would die to have the chance to spend this kind of time with their child!”
And then I thought about my mom again, and all of those times that she sacrificed her time and money for me as a child. And I remember how loved it made me feel.
But what I didn’t know was how it made her feel. I remember feeling bad for all of the stuff my mom would do for me. But now that I am a mom, I know. I know that it brought her great joy to do those things for me. Just like it brought me great joy to do those things for Jonathan this past weekend.
It wasn’t the money that I spent on him that made the weekend special, it was the time I spent with him that made it priceless.
The weekend was filled with precious moments that this mama will hold deep in her heart forever.
How beautiful!!!! Thank you for sharing and you’re right, the time spent with your son was priceless! What a wonderful son you have!
Crying!
Me too. :)
Beautiful! Your Mom did a great job, just as you are doing.
God Bless
Jonathan is a lucky boy to have you as a Mother.
I. LOVE. THIS. POST. precious! and I think you both look like a million bucks!
Once again, Jonathan, this is only one brick in the solid foundation you are building. It’s important to have those times when we don’t do so well if we can remember that it’s only one step on our journey and not get discouraged. There is a bigger picture and spending this wonderful time with your mother is part of it. You’ve had so much success already, so remember that as someone else gets their moment to shine. You are so good that even though you might have little setbacks, you are definitely on your way up! I so enjoy listening to you sing and I know that you are already a winner in the eyes, and ears, of so many people.
So beautiful. Thank you for sharing and reminding us what really matters in life. I am crying tears of joy!!
So wonderful…..I feel I’ve watched your family GROW up thru the years! Enjoy each moment!! You’re a great mom!!
As the mother of a son I can so identify with what y’all were feeling. My son is an awesome young man and I live for the times he and I have together. He is away at college now and so the times aren’t as often, making thm even more special. And like you lots of dollars spent but gladly for a priceless day with my boy. Jonathan is a gem as are you!
Thank you so much for sharing those beautiful memories with your mom, and for making such beautiful memories with your handsome son!
what a great time to spend together. he is blessed ( as are the other boys) to have you as their mom.
The reason that your children are the way they are is because you and your husband have your priorities right. I know that you are proud and you have every right to be. Keep sharing with us about those preicous boys!
What an amazing son and what a beautiful relationship that you all have. Way to go mom and dad. Lovely story.
There is nothing like the love of a Mana for her child except for the love of a child for their Mana…time passes all too quickly. These memories will last a life time for both of you.
Thank you for sharing this sweet story. You touched our hearts with that one!
Jonathan has ALWAYS been one of the most pleasant and respectful young men that I know! I can’t believe how old he is! There is no doubt in my mind that God has big plans in store for him. You guys are both amazing to me! Miss getting to see you! I love reading your “Jonathan posts” – makes me feel like I’m getting to catch up with you guys. Please give him all my best!
Tearing up! It’s so true, memories are priceless and if we spend a bit more on our children than we had planned, there are no regrets. It’s worth it to know how happy spending that money made your child. I’m a bargain hunter like you, but sometimes it just worth it to spend more than usual on a special outfit, especially if it is clothing they can wear a lot afterward. Jonathan looks so good in his outfit, I’m sure he will get a lot of use out of those clothes. I imagine the average price per time worn will work out to be very reasonable.
I’m reading this the night before my husband and I leave to take our baby girl (19) off to Texas. She has been accepted to a Christian Dance Company. The Lord has blessed her with this talent and she wants to use it for Him but she will be 800 miles away from us for the first time. I am so happy for her but I pray I get through it, it will be hard to leave her. I will always remember all the dance trips and all the money we have spent but I know it will be worth it in the end.
Crying? OH YEAH! Your story touched my heart hearing you talk about your mom and being a mom. Well I wasn’t able to be a mom and I just lost my mom 3 months ago and my mother in law 1 month ago. My husband and I sure miss our moms, yes memories are priceless. Thanks for sharing your heart Traci.
Your Tennessee friend
Marilyn C.
Tearing up! And I had a similar experience with my daughter…. we were doing some back to school shopping and I saw some really cute sandals on the clearance aisle..so I put them in my basket as a little treat for me. We got to the checkout only to learn they weren’t on sale. So, I put them back. My daughter felt so bad that she was getting some sunglasses that she wanted and I couldn’t get those sandals. I kept telling her it was alright that I was happy to buy her the sunglasses. Just like you said, it was the joy of being able to do something for my child. And later that day she told me how much fun she had with me and that she was so glad we had some girl time. Priceless is right! I’m delighted that we get to share in that joy together.
Your post brought back memories of similar times that I shared with my two sons who are now adults with young children of their own. Priceless memories indeed!
I’ve never commented here before. I’m mom to four teenagers, two of whom are boys, and I am weeping right now. Thank you for sharing your heart. This is one of them most touching blog posts I’ve ever read.
Thank you so much. God bless you.
What a nice young man he is!! I have been reading your blog for a long time I love hearing how all of your family is doing and how seeing your home come together. Talent is more than just playing the right notes it’s in your attitude and the way you carry yourself I think he has Star Quality! This post made me cry thinking of my mom and my daughters when they were little. Thanks for this post.
Kelly
Aww. What a sweet boy. You have obviously taught him to have a grateful heart. What a testament.
Awww, love it. Reminded me of Danielle and I with her dance competitions. At one of them she missed a turn and was off in timing but they still placed. However, not her best night. I said, it is ok you tried and I am so proud of you still. Precious moments….
Love your post and your son is learning from how to live on strong christian principles and support him in this exciting adventure. Love the picture of you two !!
Very well said! I wish I was as articulate as you! You put into words exactly how I feel!
What a precious Godly young man you have!!!
Super-sweet memories!! Traci, you are a wonderful mama!! Thank you for sharing such a precious story.
Traci, What precious memories! Thank you for sharing your precious relationship! I have four children three of which are boys and there is nothing sweeter than time spent together. I love your blog and the real life you write about!!! Most of all I love the relationship that you share with us about our Father and the love He has for us all!!!! God bless you and your precious family! Love, Carlie
He is a winner !!
Thank you for sharing this sweet story…it brought tears of happiness to my eyes & joy to my heart! May Jesus continue to bless you & your family!
I haven’t been to your blog in SO long. I started working and have a lot less free time but I came over to catch up. This brought tears to my eyes. I also read over your “Best Weekend Ever” and thought to myself how much Jonathon has grown. A while back I commented that I had a daughter his age wink* wink*. But how awesome to see our teenagers saved and living for God! He is getting to be very handsome. Too bad y’all don’t live closer lol!