The Power of Being There

My mom died a few years ago. It wasn’t easy. Cancer had racked her body, and we spent most of a year watching her die.

We had moved Mom home from the hospital and were trying to make her as comfortable as possible with hospice care. We moved a hospital bed into Mom and Dad’s bedroom. I would often find myself sitting on their bed while she lay in her hospital bed.

One day she was dozing and very weak, when all of a sudden she perked up and asked me, “Jimmy, where is your dad?”

“He’s watching a baseball game on TV. Do you need him, Mom?”

“No, not really,” she replied. Then she looked up at me and said, “You know, Jimmy, I never really liked baseball.”

“You never liked baseball, Mom?” I was puzzled. “Did you ever miss a Little League game of mine?”

“No.”

“Did you miss any of my Pony League, junior high or high school games, Mom?”

Again she replied, “I don’t think so.”

“Mom,” I continued, “you never missed a game, and on top of that you never missed any of my three brothers’ games either. Dad and you watch ball games all day long on TV. What do you mean you never liked baseball?”

“Jimmy, I didn’t go to the games to watch baseball. I went to the games to be with you!”

I realized at that moment that this incredible woman had such a powerful impact on my life because she was there, even when she didn’t care for the activity. Her very presence in my life was cause for great inspiration and influence. She taught me the power of being there.

Your children regard your very presence as a sign of caring and connectedness.

The power of being will make a difference in your child’s life.