Little son walks widowed mom down aisle, hands her a box saying, ‘Dad wanted you to open this now.’
Losing a spouse is difficult, but losing a parent is far more difficult.
When Claire’s husband died, she and her little kid were left to fend for themselves. Things were difficult since they both missed him terribly and were having difficulty moving on.
Claire’s son, Luke, was saddened, but he remembered his father’s words, ‘life needs to live on.’
When he saw his mother upset, he always attempted to cheer her up, and ultimately he told her that if she wanted, she should meet someone and welcome him into their loves. Claire thought those were profound remarks from an 11-year-old boy.
She wasn’t ready to look for love again after Andy died.
Claire eventually met someone, however it felt like she was committing a sin by replacing her late husband with someone new. But, before she did anything, she wanted to make sure Luke was okay with it.
“Do you think you’re ready for a new dad, Luke?” she said one day. “Mom isn’t pressuring you, honey,” the youngster said, pursing his lips.
“Will you be happy if I get a new father, Mom?” “If you’re happy, I’m happy,” he said. “And, yes, Mom, Dad always told me that life must go on.” That’s how I realized I could be content when Gran Molly left us. I was crazy for her!”
Those comments stayed with Claire, and after much deliberation, she decided to introduce Luke to her new lover, Mike.
Meeting Mike was a new experience for Luke, but he knew he liked him right away.
In reality, Mike resembled his father. He would pull out a chair for Claire at the dinner table and assist her in cleaning up the kitchen after they had finished eating.
“Luke, would you like to have ice cream? I was wondering if chocolate would be a good choice,” he said, and Luke smiled.
“That’s mom’s favorite,” he said. “Mine too!”
“Alright then, chocolate it is! I like vanilla more, but I guess chocolate wins!” he laughed.
“Vanilla?” asked Luke, disappointed. “That’s boring! Not cool, Mike!”
“Same thoughts, actually. Gonna upgrade my favorite to chocolate now coz my two favorite people love chocolate,” he winked, and Luke smiled.
Over time, Luke and Mike bonded and became very close. Mike would take him to baseball games and the two would spend a quality time together.
When Mike popped the question, both Claire and Luke were overly excited and couldn’t wait to say ‘Yes.’
“Yay! So I get to call you dad now!” said Luke as he hugged them. “But, Mike, I hope you don’t mind, but my late dad will always be my favorite person. I loved him more than anyone else.”
“No issues, champ,” replied Mike, embracing Luke and Claire. “I don’t care if I come in first or second. I’m glad you and Claire are here with me.”
When Claire and Mike’s wedding day arrived, Luke was the happiest little man on Earth.
He was given the honor to walk his mom down the aisle. “You know I’m going to walk you down the aisle, right, mom? I want to do this,” he told her, to which his mom replied, “Of course, you can do it, honey. I’d love to see you do it.”
When he escorted Claire down the aisle, and placed her hands in Mike’s, Luke pulled a box out of his pocket. He then handed it to his mom and said, “Dad wanted you to open this now, mom.”
“But before you open this, mom, I have to tell you something…” he began, pulling a letter from another pocket. “Dad wrote it when he was in the hospital. I’d like to read this.”
Claire started shaking when Luke started reading his late dad’s letter.
“Luke, I know your mom will always love me as much as I love you both. But one day, she will bring another man to our house, and that’s okay. Your mom has the right to be happy, and so do you, but you have to ensure he’s someone who cares for you and her. And if he is that man, then I already respect him. And you have to respect him too. But you must be the one who tests his attitude toward you, his genuine intentions, and who leads her down the aisle where this man will be waiting for her. You must choose the best man for your mother! Now you can open that box, mom…” he finished.
With a strange feeling of excitement, Claire opened the box and saw Andy’s wedding ring with another letter addressed to her.
“I’m sure Luke chose the best man for you. I love you and always will. Knowing you, I’m sure you’re feeling bad about moving on, and I know how to get you out of it. Please put the ring on your future husband’s ring finger. Let him always remember that you can only be the wife of a strong and true man!”
Realizing his mom turned very emotional and couldn’t contain her tears from rolling down her face, Luke approached her and said, “Mike deserves it, mom.” The boy continued, “I know he’ll be the best dad to me…and he’ll love you, just like dad did. Thank you for that, Mike!”
Mike was deeply touched as well. He embraced Luke and told him, “I will never let you down, champ. I promise.”
