The Empty Chair
By Susan Murphy
I sat straight up in bed, my mind calculating the time as my mouth clearly spoke this prayer. “Lord, please give Wesley a day pass so he can watch his baby girl graduate,” and with that, we were off! Everything that could go wrong seemed to. Perhaps, I hadn’t allowed enough time for traffic, parking, and navigating the stadium. Obviously, the families that were filling in the saved seats had prepared a little in advance. We finally found a spot, and I sat down. My eyes scanned through the rows of graduates to spot my daughter. Amazingly, our eyes met, and I waved like crazy.
My friend continued to look for a closer seat because he knew how important it was for me to see her, to see the smile on her face and witness firsthand this milestone with her. We’ve been through a lot. The rebellious teenage stuff seemed mild now in the light of the sudden death of her dad. Her dad and I had hoped she would take one of the high roads offered, and now after he passed, she was stepping into the woman we always knew she could be. My friend found me a seat a little closer, and once again, I found the eyes of my daughter and waved wildly. Unfortunately, an elderly woman needed a seat, so I gave mine up. I quickly found a step and perched like a bird scanning prey to find those blonde curls. I waited, I prayed that she would turn her head, and once more with all the excitement I had in me, I made my presence known.
I was feeling now as if we were playing a game of "Where is Waldo?" A game I knew would continue as I was being asked to leave the step because of fire safety. As I looked around for my next move, I saw my friend motioning me down to a seat right in front of the row where my daughter was seated, overlooking all the graduates. I saw her classmate whisper, and the quick jerk of her head towards me revealed her words: “Isn’t that your mom?” Our faces locked as we both smiled. I would see her receive her diploma. My game of musical chairs was over. I could relax as I settled into my seat. I heard a gentle whisper, I’ve come to know as the Spirit of God’s voice say, “Look next to you,” and there it was—an empty chair 🪑. As my daughter's name filled the auditorium, tears filled my eyes as I knew a daddy in heaven got a day pass to see his baby girl graduate.