On this Mother’s Day, I thought I’d tell you a remarkable story about my wife, Elysha Dicks.
About ten years ago, Elysha and the kids were having dinner with a friend and his two children at a local restaurant. Clara was four years old at the time, and Charlie was still an infant.
About ten minutes after sitting at the table, a waiter spilled a full glass of wine on Clara, drenching her in red wine. She was not happy in a very four-year-old way.
Elysha picked up Clara and exited the restaurant, leaving infant Charlie with her dinner companion and his two small children.
She brought our daughter to the car to clean her up and quickly determined that Clara’s shirt was not salvageable. She offered Clara one of her brother’s shirts, which happened to be in the car. It would be tight, but it might work.
Clara refused in a very unhappy four-year-old way.
She offered the shirt off her own back.
Clara refused.
She offered to reverse the unsalvageable shirt as a temporary solution.
Clara refused.
As any parent will tell you, forcing any of these shirts onto a raging four-year-old would’ve been impossible.
Elysha needed a shirt of some kind for Clara so that they could, at minimum, re-enter the restaurant to reclaim our baby and return home.
Naturally, her phone was still at the table, so calling and asking our friend to bring Charlie to the car was also not possible.
With no other options, Elysha crossed the street and walked over to the nearest house. She knocked on the door. A man and a woman answered.
Elysha explained the situation and asked the couple if she could borrow a tee shirt for the evening.
Take a moment and let that sink in.
In need of a shirt for my daughter to wear to re-enter a restaurant and reclaim our baby, my wife walked to a nearby house, knocked on a stranger’s door, and requested a tee shirt.
The couple gave her a white tee shirt and sent her on her way.
Clara ultimately refused to wear the newly acquired shirt. Instead, she opted for Elysha to turn her wine-strained shirt inside out.
Elysha and Clara re-entered the restaurant, calmed our now-screaming baby, and completed the meal, which ended up costing them nothing.
She’s incredible. Unstoppable.
Our children are so very lucky to have her as their mom.
I’m so very lucky that such an extraordinary woman is raising my children.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms in the world, but especially to Clara and Charlie’s mom.
