The Miracle of Mom

The women in our lives who shape the world and make it better

Happy Mother’s Day to all the miraculous, wonderful women who shape our lives and make it better. With a special shout out to those who are missing a mom, lamenting a loss or a relationship, or longing to be a mom.

~ AK

Photo by Hari Singh Tanwar on Unsplash

Lights up on Jessie who is staring at the sky. Lights up on Laura who is walking by but stops to catch a glimpse of what heʼs staring at.

Jessie: Itʼs the strangest thing.

Laura: What is?

Jessie: See it falling? [He turns to address the Audience]. It was the middle of the summer and I was standing there in the park, staring up at the sky. My jaw was probably hanging open.

Laura: What is that?

Jessie: [To Audience]  She had stopped on the path where I stood. It’s a - 

Laura: Snowflake. No, it canʼt be.

Jessie: [To Audience] Stopped to look up at what I was looking at. [To her]. I thought the same thing, but itʼs not.

Laura:  You sure?

Jessie: No, look... see how itʼs falling?

Laura: If itʼs not a snowflake then what is it?

Jessie: Would you look at that.

Laura: How did you even see it?

Jessie: It just caught my eye, sorta winked at me when it caught the sunlight.

He reaches out and catches it.  He holds a beautiful white feather in his hand. They stare at it. She puts her hand over her brow, stares up at the sky.

Laura: I donʼt see any birds.

Jessie: Maybe itʼs some kind of magic.

Laura: I guess it must be!

Jessie: Here, you take it.

Laura: No, I couldnʼt.

Jessie: Please?

Laura: Really?

Jessie: I insist.

Laura: Well... thank you.

Jessie: My nameʼs Jessie.

Laura: Laura. 

They linger.

Jessie: [Looking at Laura but talking to the Audience]  Itʼs how we met. Could there be anything more magical? I never met anyone, but this… it was... miraculous. Like heaven had given me a new kind of currency to spend and I spent it on her. 

Laura walks across the stage, she is happy, but her body language changes into the end-of-the day weariness that comes with being a working mother of two. 

It is now some years later.  She puts the feather down and starts to fold a pile of laundry.

Laura:  [To Audience] Love’s kind of miraculous too. The courtship. The wedding.  The first years of marriage. The first baby. The second. 

But let’s be honest.  When the kids are both screaming, the mortgage needs paying, the diapers need changing and you’re both working a job… there’s not much time to go for walks in the park to look for falling feathers.

Laura notices that Jessie is still watching her, with love in his eyes. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Laura: What are you looking at?

Jessie: Nothing.

Laura: You’re eyeing this laundry aren’t you. And thinking to yourself, I wish it was my turn to fold…

Jessie: You know what else is a miracle?

Laura: That both kids are asleep right now and we still have some microwave popcorn in the cupboard?

Jessie: Now that I think about it, yes.  But I meant something else. 

Laura: What is.

Jessie: You.

Laura: Are you making fun of me?

Jessie: No.

Laura: I have spit up on my blouse. I have mac and cheese paw prints on my pants… but that’s sort of ordinary, day in the life of kind of stuff - 

Jessie: I’m talking about you.

She giggles at this.

Jessie: I’m serious.

Laura: Is this where you quote Proverbs 31 at me?

Jessie: I probably should, because it’s true.

He places the feather back in her hand.  

Jessie: For all you do. For who you are. How you love. Every day. I see it. There might not be feathers falling from the sky right now, but I feel like our family soars on wings because of your faith and your love.

He hugs her.

Jessie: You and every mother like you is a miracle.

Lights fade to end the play.

© 2024 Andrew Kooman

This is an abridged version of my play The Miracle of Mom which is designed to tee up a Mother’s Day service at church. You can download it and other great skits here.