He Loves Me

A few days ago he told me he loved me.

It was the first time I have ever heard him say those words.

Oh, I knew he loved me. 

It was in the way he smiled when he first saw me every morning.
His smile is the playful, mischevious smile of a rascal. A smile outlined with hints of relief that I am there waiting for him and thus the world will rotate correctly on it's axis.

I knew he loved me.

It was in the way he said thank you when I made his world right
by giving him the purple scissors.
It was in the way he signed thank you when I finally understood 
what seemed so very clear to him. 

I knew he loved me.

Love was blatant in the way he tried to kiss my foot after stepping
on it for the thousandth!time!that!day. And it's in the way he wants
me to come see every little thing that intrigues him or how he picks
up the paper I've dropped before it hits the ground. 

This boy is a challenge.

He is stubborn,
intense,
distractible,
impulsive
and loud. 

But mostly, this boy is a gift. 

Because you see, he taught me far more than I taught him.

He taught me to be stubborn determined.
He taught me that if you persist even though others tell you it is okay to stop,
you will eventually be heard and understood.

He taught me to be intense joyful. 
He taught me that the everyday world is full of exciting things
to see, smell, taste, and touch.

That your favorite color is a thing to be celebrated
and helping others creates a joy that makes you
feel good about yourself.

He taught me to be distractible aware of the world around me.
There is much to see and too often we wear blinders,
oblivious to anything and anyone other than our own agendas.
There is beauty in purple construction paper and if you look at the tv
at just the right angle you can make silly faces at your reflection when the teacher is boring less than exciting.

And finally,
I learned that we humans put limitations where they do not belong.
The human spirit is immeasurable and therefore limitless.
All to often, we define others by what the experts deem possible. 

I believe God sets limits that we humans cannot envision or imagine. 
Because we cannot see them we do not reach for them.

He taught me that sometimes ignorance is bliss.
You see, some said that this boy would never talk. 

But a few days ago.....he told me that he loved me.

And that is why this boy is a gift.

Just sayin'.........