Waiting for Ice Cream

One day a small child said to his mother,

 “Mommy, I want some ice cream.”

“Alright, darling,” she replied.

Seeing that his mother was making no move toward getting his ice cream,

 he asked sweetly,

 “Mommy, may I please have some ice cream?”

“Yes, darling,” the mother smiled.

Seeing, still, that his mother made no move to attend to his ice cream,

 the child glared,

 “Mommy, when are you going to get me my ice cream?”

Turning to him, his mother replied,

 “There is no ice cream right now, darling.”

Angrily, the child whined,

“Then why did you say that I could have some?”

“Because, love, when there is some ice cream,

you shall have some.”

 

After lunch the following day the child asked,

“Mommy, may I please have some ice cream?”

“Yes my love,” the mother replied.

“Today?” the child asked.

“No,” the mother replied, “there is no ice cream today.”

Disappointed, the child asked,

 “Mommy, can we go and get some ice cream?”

“Not today,” the mother replied.

“When? When can we get some ice cream?” the child moaned.

“Soon, my love,” the mother crooned.

Resigned, the child sighed.

 

The child awoke the next day,

 sure that it must be the day for ice cream.

“Mommy!” he gushed,

 “Today must be the day we go and get ice cream!”

“No darling, not yet,” she soothed.

“But Mommy, why?!

Why can’t we get ice cream today?

I don’t understand!

 You’re just mean!”

“Patience, my darling.” 

Frustrated and angry, the child stormed off.

 He didn’t understand why his mother said that he could have ice cream

if she had no intention of giving him any. 

Why was she being so cruel?

 Didn’t she love him? 

One day after the child awoke from his afternoon nap

 his mother loaded him into the car and drove

to the fanciest ice cream parlor he had ever seen. 

Inside, in the middle of the room,

was a table decorated with confetti, streamers and balloons.

Above it hung a banner that said, “Happy Ice Cream Day!”

On the table was a dish

filled with his favorite flavor of ice cream,

 topped with all of his favorite toppings. 

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

He turned to his mother,

 “Oh thank you Mommy!

Thank you!

You’re the best!”

********

Now, it would have been much easier

for both the mother and her child if she had,

on the first day he had asked, 

 simply gone to the store and bought some ice cream.

However, knowing the heart of her child,

 long before he had even asked for ice cream,

 the mother had planned this day.

Though buying ice cream right away

 would have been simpler and instantly gratifying to her child,

the mother knew that doing so

would leave no lasting impression on her son.

But the memory of the surprise trip

 to the ice cream shop would remain with him forever.

 

******** 

The Lord gave me this analogy nearly two years ago,

in the midst of my own waiting.

My Ice Cream Day has yet to come,

 but when it does,

oh what a day it will be!!!