the gift...

This morning after an evening of horrible parenting, I sat down with Riley to play trains. This sounds picturesque and lovely but really I hate playing trains. I don’t enjoy imaginary play but I owed him after the medicine cabinet door slipped from my hand last night and hit is head. There is nothing worse than knowing your unconscious behavior, hurt your child. I kept telling him, "My horrible mood has nothing to do with you."

This morning, as we sat playing I observed how tall he’s gotten and how his legs are long and lean “What are you going to do with those legs? They are so strong and lean,” I asked. He went on to tell me about how he grew from being a baby to the size he is now.

“You have a gift and you need to share it with the world,” I said.
“What is my gift,” he asked.
“I don’t know. That’s what you are here to figure out but everyone has a gift to share.”
“My gift is love,” he said pulling Henry, the green train around an imaginary bend.
“That’s a beautiful gift,” I said pulling James, the red train close behind.

Imagine what a wonderful world it would be if everyone realized that their gift to the world is to love, unconditionally and in rapture. What a beautiful world it would be…