a small kindness

She hasn’t seen her (grown) son in 7 years.

She is at the boarder, arranging to give her son money to help with a family emergency.

There is a kind boarder guard who says they can talk.

They call her up to the fence.

They call her son up to the fence.

And they stand there and cry.

7 years of missing.

7 years of separation from one another.

And 15 minutes to stand across a fence from one another.

Because there was a kind boarder guard.

My heart is simultaneously:

Thankful. For  the gift of 15 precious minutes.

and

Heavy. For the burden of 7 long years.