199 goose bumps

My middle daughter is a beautiful red head with a very fun personality. She lights up our world with funny impressions, quick witted dramatic sayings and a contagious laugh. In addition to all her hilarious fun qualities, she is also a loving and tender hearted little girl.

Walking to school one morning she was talking her usual mile a minute about everything that has been racing through her sweet little head that morning. Her conversation began with a dream she had about dolphins, then moves to what her friend Tia did at school the day before, (a story so funny she can hardly keep herself composed to explain the story in its entirety) and without even taking a breathe ends with "and mom I wish I would have worn pants, because if we go to computer lab today I am going to have 199 goose bumps!" Oh the drama, the cuteness, the descriptive sense of a child.

Tucking in my little princess the next night, she looks up at me with a contemplative face, dimples still making an appearance and asks, "mom I know you love me, but what does love mean?" In my exhausted state with a fussy baby trying to get my attention in the background, and an eight year old trying to talk over her sister about what she should wear tomorrow, I found myself staring deep into my girls blue eyes. I could see her sincerity in the question. I could sense her heart longing to grasp how deep and how wide the meaning of love really was. Moments a mother knows she is in over her head and has to think quick.

 "Love is hard to explain or truly understand at times even for a mommy and a daddy, I begin..... But I do know that to feel grateful for all that we have is to feel loved. To feel happy about people who show us love with hugs, gifts, words and nice things is to experience love. And to know with certainty that God is with us ALL the time loving us no matter what we do or how we act brings the comfort of love to my heart." I can tell my long winded explanation is losing its luster, she is beginning to take her eyes off mine and look elsewhere.

 "Emma when I held you for the first time I knew how love made my heart feel. I knew you were my beautiful precious gift that made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Love feels like having a 199 goose bumps" Her smile, now so big, her cheeks are burying her dimples, tells me she understands. She knows what that means, she knows how that feels. For a brief moment my baby knows what it means to "feel" love.

Please God may our love to our children translate to a feeling they can understand, words that they cherish for their lifetime. Experiences that reflect you. You are love.