Those Moments

For Christmas, one of the gifts that my Nana gives to all of the families is calendars. I look forward to them every year and the beauty they bring into my home. This Christmas, she gave us a calendar with art by the great artist Del Parson. He has painted some of the most familiar images of Christ.

This was January's picture, Lovest Thou Me, of Jesus with his disciples. Ada called it, "People's Talkin'" :) During her nap on January 31st, I flipped the calendar to February in preparation for the next day. 

This is February's painting, Hope in the Second Coming. At dinner, Ada looked up and noticed that it was a new picture. Here is how our conversation went: 

Ada: "Ohhhh! Jesus!" 

Me: "Yeah, it's a new picture of him, huh?"

Ada: "Yeah."

Then, her voice changed. She has this special, loving voice that she reserves only for Matt. "Paaapaaaaa," she says to him. It was like that voice, but even softer and sweeter...more reverent. 

"I wan' give Jesus hugs and kisses," she said. 

At that, my eyes filled with tears. It was such a sweet, unexpected moment. She was looking up at the picture of Him with such adoration in her eyes. She asked, "Mommy sad?" and I said no, they were happy tears. And that she would definitely be able to give Jesus hugs and kisses again one day when He comes again.

I wonder if she is so young that she still remembers being in His presence? Or if she is so innocent and pure that she can see his picture and be filled with His love. 

I had to write this to make sure I never forgot it. It was one of those moments...a brief flicker. The next minute she was noisily counting her noodles and spilling them all over the place. It was a moment that put into clear perspective what truly matters and what my duty is as a parent: to teach her the way back to Christ.