I’m trying to write this without crying. (Again.)
Every once in a while, as a parent, you stumble across this magical moment that makes all the dirty diapers and scolding and whining worthwhile, a moment that moves in slow motion, the world around you fading quickly into a blurry mess so that all that you can do is soak in that exact moment. It’s these moments that you actually remember, these golden, dreamy moments of happiness that make up your memory of your child’s youth. And, of course, these moments tend to happen quite unexpectedly, pass quickly and leave you in tears. This evening I had one of these magical moments, and I’m still drifting dreamily on its high.
It was bath time, which in and of itself is a humdrum, routine event. Emma Vance was crouched at the foot of Cricket’s whale tub, splashing around like usual. Cricket was taking in her surroundings, quietly tolerating E.V.’s splashes. Out of the blue, E.V. clasped her hands together and said, “Dear God. Thank you {for} Kwicket. AAAA-men.” She was left in a fit of giggles, and I in a puddle of tears. It was unprovoked, a truly earnest and honest prayer from my innocent toddler. It was magical, uplifting and endearing. I will never forget her first true prayer. I will never forget that it was one of thanks, and that her greatest thanks was for Cricket. I love that little baby more than my own life and knowing that E.V. loves her too (not just in the finally-someone-to-play-with way) is one of the most amazing feelings I’ve experienced as a parent. In six little words, our two-year old echoed countless hours of her parents’ prayers, saying everything we’ve been feeling for the past 9+2 months. Isn’t God amazing??
When the golden moment was over, Emma Vance forced Cricket to clap her hands and say, “Amen!” too, which immediately brought me from a dream-like state to reality — and from tears to laughter. And that’s life!
