Updated 3/5/2025
Waiting for her mother; She is.
Jasmine had many notable qualities. she had grown to become a uniquely introverted but intriguing young person while living at The Maria House.
This was not entirely by design, quietude became more attractive to her and she gravitated to it. She often fell into thought space and became quiet, especially so when looking outward. She often discovered herself drawn to the windows’ edge, she’d lean close to the glass peering outside the building.
Jasmine was an observer. When it felt as though there was something missing inside, she looked out.
She was keen to look outward, outside, often aiming her gaze out through any light spaces that shone in. She peered through cracks, windows, slightly open doors and she would easily grow fond of the imagined scenarios that came to mind. These scenarios were ones she sketched out in the movies of her active thoughts; this thinking was often centered around her mom.
When walking, body language was one key phrases that used to tip off onlookers or those in a close enough space to observe that she needed to walk in silent reflection. When her shoulders hunched, frame slumped, it was evident that she was in no mood to frivolously socialize. Although it helped at times to lighten her heavy posture, she couldn’t find the words or pull together the conversations that would alleviate her inner-aching soul.
Jasmine often gazed downward while pensively stepping through the halls of The Maria House. There were also those days she smiled, looked up, greeted staff, visitors or peers who were close in age. Occasionally she quite enjoyed some of the young people who were also residing in The Maria House. It even saddened her at times to see some of those who she bonded with shuffled into other temporary facilities. When she really connected and cared for someone who came in to be housed near her room, she’d pray for them, for their future and… for their family.
Jasmine was often described as reflective.
This introverted nature was paired well with other qualities that the staff and her peers at The Maria House could agree on.
Of these notable qualities, there were a few mentionable characteristics that surfaced when Jasmine was spoken of in conversations. At times the discussions that were centering Jasmine found questions about her and even her emotional well being as she usually kept things inside. It was difficult for her roommate to fully grasp how Jasmine felt on any given day.
These introspective qualities reflected her character, her personality and some of those qualities were representative of who she had become only since moving to The Maria House. It was in this time that she grew inward.
No one ever confused Jasmine of being patient though. In all the discussions that bubbled to surface about young ‘Jas’, it was never mentioned that she waited well, or… that she waited -for anything. As soon as she became interested in something or keen to finish a task, it had to be done immediately. Jasmine didn’t wait, she held her focus upon whatever held her attention.
On this particular Sunday morning, Jasmine heard lowered volumes, even whispers as she dragged each of her oversized plastic slippers across the linoleum surfaced flooring. Jasmine stopped dragging her slippers as she heard a conversation that raised her listening ears toward the ceiling. Body grew still, she stood tall and -she listened.
These whispers caught her focus, as they continued, she leaned to the right, raising her antennae to attention, she now absorbed every audible sound of what was being said.
Jasmine heard something about a mother who would be coming to visit.
A Visit From Mother
She overheard the part of this conversation that jostled her awake from two regular staff members as their voices were competing with the paperwork that they handily shuffled through. Between shuffling through papers and quietly discussing a visitation, Jas’ heard the words that fully captivated her consciousness.
She was still, her ears grew keen, her eyes widened and her awareness was-big. Jasmine was too excited to contain the shift in her electric state.
“Oh my…. “ Jas quietly muttered to the off-white speckled tile staring up at her.
“Whose mom is coming???” Jasmine silently asked the hallway that framed her return to the bunk bed she would crawl back in to.
Jasmine had dreamed, fantasized and poured her prayers into the day of this potentially life-changing visit. Hope was now rushing through the bloodstream of Jasmine, hope and prayer.
In fact, Jasmine replayed the day her mom would finally arrive to The Maria House to see her so many times it was a looped series, perpetually playing in her mind, over and again. She saw her mom, imagined walking to a momentous embrace, hugging, holding this hug and then giving a soft shoulder pat to her mom so as to maintain contact.
“Oh my goodness,” was now being muttered softly by young Jasmine as she looked upward to the low hanging vanilla light fixture that dangled a few feet overhead.
“Hmmm….”…… “Is it true?” She thought aloud.
“Is mom really coming to see -me?” She finally murmured as she hustled back to her bedroom.
Her face scrunched, soft voice was pleading and her hands made it into a folded, overlap clutch.
She spoke with the creator of all creation, the God she looked to when she didn’t know what else to do.
“God please…. Please God….
….Bring my mother here to ‘The Maria House’…. Oh… God…. Please. I want to see her, God. I want to hug her. …”. ….
With eyes still closed she turned her head upwards and before she looked up, she finished her prayer with, “thank you God, I thank you for listening to me and watching over me.”
In a moment she heard a sound. This was a wood chair bumping a desk that sat just below her bunk beds and she suddenly sprang forth. Eyes widened a bit and jumped into the conversation of her roommates.
Philip Dane 