My three-and-a-half year old niece asked if she could draw
me on the couch. She looked up at my face, then down at her etch-a-sketch, made two
little dots and said, “These are your eyes.” She continued to place a nose, ear,
hair, and an oval for a head all around the picture plane, balancing the
composition with a long vertical line she called my mouth. I asked if she
wanted to practice drawing and looking at the same time. “Ok,” she said without
hesitation. She stared into my eyes while making a little squiggly line, looked
down at it pleased and said, “That is your face.”
And it was!
What was beautiful today?
Before we eat the soup my dad made for us, we put our
hands together and thank everyone involved. I call out a certain entity and
say Thank You! and the kids echo just like when we sing. “Thank you, farmer.
Thank you, mr. pig. Thank you, truck driver. Thank you, sunshine. Thank you,
rain. Thank you, mommy. Thank you, daddy.” The kids repeat each phrase in
whatever tone I set. I ask, is there anyone else? “Ba!” Margot says. “Thank
you, Ba! Thank you, Da.” I say, “That was good. Now we can eat!” I am about to
put my first bite into my mouth when David interrupts. “Wait,” he says. “Thank
you, uncle David.”
What was beautiful today?
While getting ready for bed, my niece asked if I would help her put on her shirt; “I can’t do it by myself.” I replied, “I will, but you start and I’ll help you finish.” So she put her arms through the holes, lifted her hands above her head, then suddenly grabbed the shirt and pulled down in just the right place to push her big head through the tiny neck. I looked at her in amazement, and suddenly she burst into laughter. “I did it! I did it!” We both hugged and laughed in love.
1 comment:
Love!
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