He was a little sad that morning in the car. He kept telling me how much he would miss me while at preschool and insisted that I be at the front of the carpool line that afternoon to pick him up.
Of course I’ll pick you up, honey. And, I’ll do my best to be as close to the front of the line as possible.
I worried that his mist-filled eyes were a sign that it might be a less than stellar day at school. If the past has taught me anything it’s that his sad eyes make for a rough day.
I went to pick him up that afternoon and watched nervously out the window until I saw his little face appear in the door.
There’s my handsome boy.
I smiled. He smiled back.
“I thought about you today, Mommy. I missed you.”
Oh, darling. I missed you, too.
He handed me something small. Soft.
“I picked this for you today on the playground.”
A flower. A small, slightly over-clenched flower.
It was the first flower he’d ever given me. And, he did it because he was thinking of me.
It’s perfect. I love it.
I couldn’t bare to toss it even though it was too wilted and delicate to handle. But, I wanted to keep it. I needed to keep it.
I placed it between the pages of my Bible.
It’ll be safe in there.
“Will you keep it forever, Mommy?”
Forever and ever, amen.
