The Little Yellow Flower

Last Saturday I met my girls and husband at swim lessons.  I come right from the gym so my husband has to get them “swim” ready.  You know, bathing suits, towels, packing the bag, etc.  AND, he has to get them out of the door by 9:45 which is a chore with my girls.  They sleep late!  Well, I waited for them on a bench and when they got there, I see my husband carrying the overstuffed, unzipped bag with diaper wipes falling on to the ground.  Kersplat!!

The little one is walking with him and my 4 year old takes off by herself in the parking lot.  A scene.  Slow motion…I saw it happening…she is running and I am screaming, “Stop, there are cars coming”… and then she is...falling!!!

She was running, running , running in uncomfortable little pink strappy sandals and a skirt and just.bit.it.  I knew it was going to happen.  I saw it coming.  The scene unfolded just too quickly and I just couldn’t get off the bench fast enough.  She started crying and I ran over and picked her up and brought her over to the bench.  The little one and my husband went inside and me and my older daughter hugged on the bench.  I said to her, “I feel so bad because you were running to see me and I was so happy to see you too, and then you fell.  I’m so sorry honey.”  And then she pulls back a little and whips out this tiny little yellow flower.  I said, “You were running to give me this flower?”  She nodded her head through her tears and with those skinned knees.  My heart just broke into tiny little itty bitty pieces and splattered all over the floor.  Crunch!

Do you ever have those heartbreaking moments for your child?  It absolutely warms your heart and breaks it at the same time.  I cry just thinking about her pulling out that flower.  It wasn’t any big profound moment or anything but it was one of those moments that just got me.  I could see her picking it, and then holding it in the car waiting to give it to me with a smile on her face, and then seeing me and running to give it to me, and then falling…2 seconds shy of getting it to me.  I don’t know.  It got me.

These kids; they take up so much of our time.  They cause us grief at times, frustration sometimes, worry and anger, etc.  Sometimes we need to yell into our pillows so we don’t yell at them.  Other times, we are rushing to the next thing, getting them to school, getting their shoes on, making sure they eat and drink and poop and pee.  And then sometimes, you have a moment that shows you the heaven sent angels that they are.  This tiny little flower represents my heart.  Because everything that she put into giving me this flower, the thought, the keep, the excitement and the fall…it became one of the most purest moments of my life.  I mean, I rarely cry over milestones.  I am pretty even-keeled.  But, that night when I was laying in bed with my husband, I just started crying as I spoke about it.  “She had this tiny little flower for me,” I said.  And he said, “I know, I had to wait for her to pick it even though we were running late and then she had to keep it safe in the car on the way.” 

I cried.  All for me?! 

These little kids are amazing!