God sees what families miss in ‘The Invisible Woman’

The following edited Mother’s Day testimonial, entitled “The Invisible Woman,” was written by Nicole Johnson.

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. We were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”

“Nobody,” he shrugged. “Nobody?” The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only five, but as we crossed the street I thought, “Oh my goodness, nobody?”

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family like “Turn the TV down, please” and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We had been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking.

That’s when I started to put all the pieces together. I don’t think he or anyone else can see me. I’m invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: “Can you fix this?” “Can you tie this?” “Can you open this?” Some days I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock, “What time is it?” I’m a remote control guide, “What number is the Disney Channel?” I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.”

One night, a group of us was having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip. I was sitting there, feeling sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. I was feeling quite pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she had given it to me until I read her inscription: “With admiration for the greatness of what you are building that no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would devour the book. I found four life-changing truths:

• No one can say who built the great cathedrals. We have no record of their names.

• These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

• They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

• Their faith fueled the passion of their building that God saw.

A story is told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a worker carving a tiny bird inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

The workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing pieces fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you have done, no cupcake you have baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you cannot see right now what it will become.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. One day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

To all you mothers: Happy Mother’s Day!