My nephew gave me this sign after he saw it while he was out shopping with my mother-in-law. When I opened the package, I was a bit confused. I knew he chose it for its literal meaning but I didn’t know why. But he reminded me that during our trip to Boston in August, he, my husband and I could not find a downtown restaurant that was a few blocks from Fenway and I was not happy with his uncle, our navigator. It was a hot summer morning even though it was early and walking in circles caused me to lose my patience. I tried to make light of my meltdown as it was happening and my nephew and I laughed through it at Uncle Lost On The Way To Breakfast’s expense.
The fact that this almost-teenager saw this sign at Kohl’s and thought of that morning four months prior and wanted to give it to me touched me deeply. While looking at when I got home that evening, I couldn’t help but wonder if on some level he understood the bigger meaning of this saying. Twelve now, he was seven when I lost my vision and he doesn’t really remember the aunt who drove him around and read to him but he knows I once had my full sight. He knows my life was very different than it is now and I do believe he thinks about that when we are together. I hope that I am setting a good example for him by showing him that you cannot quit when life throws you a curveball. He is, after all, a baseball player.
I hung the sign next to the chair set close to the TV, at sitting eye level, and I look at it and love it everyday. I think it’s something we all need to keep in mind: There is no going back, only forward. Not longing for what came before can be the hardest thing you will ever have to do but just like on that sweaty, frustrating walk to breakfast, good things lie ahead. The cinnamon French toast that morning was the best we have ever had and we’re still talking about it. Having memories is wonderful but making new ones is the sweetest, beating out even our delicious breakfast by many more miles than those we covered that morning. My nephew didn’t just give me a sign, he gave me a compass. And excited as I am today about my future, I am even more so about his.
