Happy Mother’s Day/Welcome to Willow Creek
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! I am so thankful for my mom and all that she’s done for me over the years. I’m not very good at expressing these kind of things, so I wrote a little story in honor of my mom and all of the other moms out there. Enjoy!
*****
“So, Lizzy, are you doing anything special for your mom for Mother’s Day?”
Lizzy Watson was shelving books in the fiction section of the Willow Creek Public Library with Miss Denise, the head librarian. It was soothingly quiet, as the library had not yet opened for the day. Miss Denise knew Lizzy wasn’t much of a talker, and usually they worked in companionable silence. The question took Lizzy by surprise.
“Oh, I hadn’t really thought of anything yet,” Lizzy said after a moment’s thought. She wiggled a book, Danger in the Wild, into its place between other books on the shelf. “I’ll come up with something.”
Miss Denise set down the Agatha Christie mystery she was holding and placed her hands on her hips. “Lizzy, honey, you do realize Mother’s Day is tomorrow?”
Lizzy had not. The book she held slipped from her hands in her surprise. She snatched it up from the floor and quickly slipped it into its proper place.
“Oh no,” she groaned. She covered her face in her hands. This always happened. Holidays tended to slip her mind until the day before, and then she had to scramble to make a card and a gift, causing herself even more anxiety than usual.
Miss Denise gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her shoulder and then resumed shelving. “You’re a very bright girl. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
Lizzy sure hoped so.
*****
As soon as her shift at the library ended, Lizzy hurried straight home. Miss Denise had taken pity on her and let her go early; the library had been slow today anyway. Lizzy was home before either of her parents.
Her father taught English Literature at the university an hour away in the significantly larger town of Pemberton. (Although to be quite fair, almost any other town was bigger than Willow Creek.) Her father didn’t usually get home until late in the evening. He was at a teacher’s conference today, and would probably be back even later than usual.
Her mother was having a ladies day out with several of her friends. They had gone on a shopping expedition to several of the nearby towns and were probably going to be out late as well.
Her brother Peter wouldn’t get home from college until tomorrow, which meant that Lizzy had the house to herself and the rest of the day to figure out what to get or do for her mother. The whole family would reunite tomorrow, but for now, she was on her own.
Lizzy paced back and forth in her room, racking her brain for something she could make. What kinds of things did Mom like? She was an English Lit professor, same as her husband. They both loved books, especially the classics. But the Watson household was already crammed with books. Lizzy didn’t think there were any books her mother wanted that Lizzy could get within a day.
She sighed deeply and threw herself on her bed. Why did she do this to herself? It would be so much easier to start earlier and take time to find a present for her mother. Lizzy had high expectations for herself. She knew Mom would love whatever Lizzy gave her, but she wanted to find something perfect for her mother. Mom had always been such a big part of Lizzy’s life. If only she could pull a special new book out of thin air.
An idea came to Lizzy. She sat up quickly, and paused for a moment, wondering if she could really do it. Yes she could. Lizzy hopped up, filled with excitement and energy. There was no time to waste. She had to get started.
*****
The next day, Lizzy got up early and quickly got ready for church so she could have time with her mother before they had to leave. She trotted downstairs, her long skirt swishing against her ankles. “Good morning!” she called brightly.
Her mother looked up from her book and steaming cup of coffee. “Morning, Lizzy! You’re up early.”
Lizzy gave her a peck on the cheek and sat in the chair next to her at the kitchen table. “Happy Mother’s Day.” She sat an envelope down in front of her mother.
“This is for me?” her mother asked as she opened the envelope.
Lizzy watched eagerly as her mother pulled out the card. It was made of flowered cardstock and hand written blue and gold letters on the front read, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that an amazing mom in possession of an awesome daughter must be in want of a Mother’s Day card.” Mom chuckled, and flipped the card open. She read the inside out loud. “‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thank you for all you do for your family. You are loved and appreciated so very much. Love, Lizzy.’”
Mom set down the card and looked at Lizzy with a smile on her face and love in her eyes. “Thank you, sweetie; I love it.”
“There’s one more thing in the envelope,” Lizzy said.
Mom pulled folded piece of plain white printer paper out of the envelope. She unfolded it, and found it full of typewritten words. Lizzy had chronicled the struggles of yesterday into a short story. It clearly expressed all of the love and appreciation that Lizzy had for her mom.
“That was beautiful, Lizzy.” Her mother said when she finished reading. She scooted her chair closer to her daughter and wrapped her in a hug. “But I wish you hadn’t worried so much about getting me something. You are gift enough.”
“I know,” Lizzy said, snuggling closer to her mother. “But you’ve always done so much for me, and I wanted to give you something special. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, Elizabeth Bennet Watson. Just knowing how much you care is the best gift I could ask for.”
*****
I hope I did justice to just how much my mom means to me; I know there are so many daughters (and sons) out there who feel the same way.
I hope you liked Lizzy Watson, because you’ll be seeing more of her soon! I’ve been working on a series based around Lizzy and Willow Creek. Lizzy’s character is based quite a bit on myself, and I think her story is going to be really interesting!
In fact, what Lizzy did in this story, I did for my mom! I wrote Lizzy’s story and gave it to Mom this morning, and I made the card for her as well!
I just want to end by saying thank you to all of the mothers out there. You really are loved and appreciated so much.
Happy Mother’s Day!
~Jadyn