I am a Jewish Mother

I am a Jewish mother and I had one son. He was getting to be middle age and still he did not have a wife, not even a girlfriend. When I went to the market, all the people looked at me and whispered behind my back: "What's the matter with her boy?" They would ask: "Why isn't he married yet?" I kept telling him he was depriving me of my grandchildren but he would just look at me and say: "Women, my hour has not yet come!" It was all very peculiar. I did not understand anything he said but he just stayed in his room all the time and prayed. He did have a few male friends but I did not trust any of them and I kept warning him to keep better company or his reputation would be ruined but he assured me that they were OK. Then we got this invitation to a wedding in Cana. His cousin got married and I thought this is the opportunity to get him out of the house and find a wife. So we went to the wedding but even there he stayed mostly in his room and prayed. I ran around and helped at the wedding as much as I could when suddenly I realized that they had run out of wine. At least I thought he could bring up a few extra bottles from the cellar. But, no, he told the waiters to put water in those tall flower pots where I had planned to arrange the roses and suddenly we had wine. I was confused and surprised and everyone congratulated me. All of a sudden, they thought that I had a fine son after all. I figured we go home and start this import export business and sell wine. I would have kept the books for him. I could picture myself going to the market and everyone pointing to me saying: Here goes the mother of the wine merchant. But it was not to be. Instead he took off with his friends and visited his cousin who ate locusts and ran around half naked. I had warned him. I told him that this boy was no good for him. Since he ate locusts, what was he smoking? But he kept telling me that John was a nice guy. I wanted so desperately to be proud of him. Our neighbor, Mrs. Feigelstein, had a boy who served in the Roman army and was a doctor. The other neighbor, Mrs. Bernstein, had a boy who was a lawyer in Jerusalem. They had it made. They were respected in town. It turned out differently. Oh, yes, he became well known but never as a wine merchant and I never kept any books for him either. We stayed poor but he changed the world. Sigh.