"Really?" she asked. "Well then you need another one."
So another ferocious squish came my way. I told her that would keep me going until she came home from school.
"You think about me when I am at school?"
My girls are growing up. One is in middle school and the other is soon to leave the cocoon of elementary school. She is my big 5th grader. My house has grown quiet from 8:00am to 3:30 or there abouts. I think of them at random times. When I find a pair of shoes looking more like adult shoes than kid ones. When I find Cowie, a very loved, rancid smelling, stuffed bovine that goes everywhere but to school. When I replace the cap on the toothpaste for the upteenth million time. When I sit quietly in their rooms at odd times of the day just looking to see who they are becoming by the jumble of stuff that litters the counters, floor, and closets in their rooms.
Today, I found the book The Kissing Hand on my little one's bed. I had forgotten about the many kisses planted on open palms as we navigated preschool. I think today we did a little twist...it was The Hugging Arms. I can still feel her earnest squish and see her upturned face with bright eyes and big smile before she went running for the bus.
Yes, I think about you when you are at school and I realize that I am the luckiest mom in the world. Your hugs truly make my day.
And I will make sure to tell her that when she gets home tonight.
