A Loving Look

I don't have a really long post today. I thought of many ways to try and spruce this up into something longer, but everything I considered only got in the way of the message. So my only concern is that reading this will make you cry. Not sad cry, but happy cry.

Last night I couldn't sleep after finishing my work. TV was boring, so I decided to watch the girls videos on my iPad. I really l love those videos. The girls have no idea how often I watch them. They also likely don't comprehend how proud I am of them.

What hit me during the videos was that I noticed something had not noticed before. A certain pattern in the videos that crossed both girls, extened through every age and never changed. It was something you did/do. I think it is a special gift given to you by god for our children. It is a gift of comfort and safety, but I never realized how it was delivered.

I am sure you have seen a million pictures of proud parents holding their newborn babies and gazing at them. That special look you give to something so new that you love so much. The one where you are holding the baby in your arms extended in front of you and you just staring at them in awe. It is the kind of look they put on cards and in picture frames.

Ironically there is picture in both of the girls videos of you in that pose, with that look on your face. Your look is of course much better than the normal look. It shows your amazement in the babies. It shows how much you love them. It shows how much you care for them. It shows how much you will protect them. It is magical.

Here is the thing. The older they get in the pictures, you still look at them that way. It isn't even subtle. It is obvious. It never goes away. Like an on going Mona Lisa of sorts. Year after year. Situation after situation. Your magical blue eyes look down on them with amazement, wonder, care and love. Whether at age 10 months, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, etc. It doesn't matter, it is always there for them. And just as they did as babies, they catch the look. They smile. They feel comfort. They feel safe. Most of all they feel loved.

I checked even some of the Facebook photos of recent times. The look is still there. Protecting them into adulthood. Caring for them like no one ever will. I think that without even knowing it, they have started to look for the look to give them comfort.

So there you have it, something new I learned about you after all these years. Something to add to the magic that is my amazing wife and mother of my children.

You're the world to me. I love you more than anything in the world.