Subtle

Mornings in my house are usually not pretty. I am not at my best in the morning. I can be a little cranky. OK, fine, just don't talk to me until I've head my coffee or you run the risk of being strangled by your own tongue. My son has lived with me long enough to know that you don't piss of Mom in the morning. He's caught my wrath more than once - sometimes deserved, sometimes not.
This morning was quiet and uneventful. I didn't have to tell him to hurry up and get out of the bathroom so I could have my turn. There were no wet towels laying on the floor. All was going smoothly up until I was putting on my makeup and my son made some ridiculous request from the kitchen. I don't even remember what it was. I was about to snap a too sharp reply when I noticed a small card that my son had stuck above the full length mirror in the bathroom. This wasn't there yesterday morning.
It was one of those little prayer cards that my Mom had given me years ago. It had become an unseen fixture on the fridge for a long time. It was the Prayer for the Single Mother.
I read it.......I cannot recall at this moment what it said word for word...but it there was something in there about patience and holding my tongue before I say something I will regret.
That gesture made my morning. I smiled and answered my son calmy.
That's the nicest and most subtle way anyone has ever told me I was an uberbitch in the morning.
I think I will be more self aware in the mornings from now on.
Smart kid.