After Young Son Dies of Cancer, Mom Learns True Meaning of Blue Stain He Left on Carpet
Motherhood is a full time job. Between cleaning, cooking, chauffeuring, and the millions of other little tasks taking up every second of every day, life as a parent is never easy.
Sometimes we can get caught up in the chaos. We sigh and groan in frustration, because why, oh why did our screaming toddler throw spaghetti on the floor again?
We can get so focused on the mess, we tend to forget the beauty behind it. I know I’m guilty of this on more than one occasion.
Heather Duckworth of the Love, Faith & Chaos community on Facebook recently shared her story. Or rather, her epiphany.
Many years ago, this mom dealt with a situation many of us would be familiar with. A situation which involved a permanent stain on brand new carpet.
I cringe just thinking about it. For me, it was a smoothie spilled all over my carpet that had been installed the previous day.
For Heather, it was a bright blue ink stain on her fresh tan carpet. But, as I read her story, I realized it wasn’t really about stained carpet at all.
“The other night I was scrubbing up some slime that my daughter had let ooze through her fingers and slip onto the floor,” Heather’s post begins. Where it ends will leave you with fresh tears and a new perspective.
It turns out that, 14 years ago, Heather’s 2-year-old son had gotten his hands on a blue-ink pen. The pen exploded all over the toddler… and all over the family’s brand new carpet.
The exhausted mom was frustrated, to say the least. She berated herself for leaving the pen within her son’s reach.
Try as she might, neither Heather, her husband, nor professional carpet cleaners could get that stain out. It was ugly, but it would remain no matter what she tried.
Sadly, only a month after the blue ink incident, that little boy was diagnosed with cancer. And, two years following his diagnosis, he passed away.
Now, of course, Heather would give anything to have her baby back in her arms again. She still sees that blue stain, and it reminds her of him–along with what is really, truly important in life.
“I would have a million blue ink stains on my carpet if it meant I could have one more day with my son,” the heartbroken mom writes. She ends her post by encouraging others to find “the bless in this mess.”
Thank you, Heather. Your heartfelt story has reminded this writer to stop and breathe in those frustrating–but not life-ending–moments within the chaos.
For other parents out there who might be feeling a little frustrated with your children today–take time to cherish everything, even the ugly stains on the carpet. You never know when that stain might be the last.
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