In the car on a crowded highway in the dark a small voice sings off key.
It’s the song I have sung to him almost every day of his four and a half years. The song I have sung till I am tired of the melody and the words have lost all meaning. The song that evokes 3am trips to the ER or hours of pacing and waiting out an upset stomach or stubborn fever.
It’s his song. And tonight he is singing it back to me.
I try not to breathe so that I don’t miss a single word. Slowly he weaves his favorite parts of my mothering into the familiar tune. But the words are all new and I must not forget them.
He loves my big smile. He loves my hugs. He loves that I wrestle him. He loves how I love him. He uses the word love, liberally. He warbles his love with the utter unselfconsciousness of the very young. He fills the car with it and I can barely breathe.
Each word wraps itself around my heart, my lungs, my gut and squeezes till I feel that I won’t be able to draw breath past the building tears.
Carnegie Hall has nothing on an old car seat tonight.
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Shared with Emily and friends.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Although we’ve never met and I am only an occasional reader, this isn’t the first time that I’ve been struck by how recklessly you love. May this reckless behavior be totally infectious! Blessings!
“Reckless love” – wow, now there’s putting into words something to live up to. Thanks so much, Kristie.
Beautiful portrait of a melodious motherhood moment you want to frame forever! I agree…Carnegie Hall could never do those moments justice!
One more thing…we ALL love your big smile!
Have a blessed day, sweet girl.
Aww shucks, get over here so I can hug you already!
This is beautiful. I love little boys, and I love boy-mamas. *sigh*
Happy face!
Me too, seriously, me too!
Also, great job capturing it in words!
I love this!
What a sweet moment..thank you for sharing it with the rest of us =)
What a lovely moment…
I felt the same way, holding my breath, the first few times Fynn belted out the entire abc song! Their little voices are so very sweet, so full.
Aaaaahhh! So cute! I think you have one musical baby there. Enjoy it while you can. My oldest boy is 9 and asking about babies. Seriously? How does that happen????
omg, that gave me chills.
I have been thinking so much about this lately, little voices singing, because I can think of nothing sweeter than the sound of a happy child singing away, unabashedly.
Often I hear my five year old singing and I get a big smile on my face until the words, about poop and pee, sink in.
Every now and then though, it is a song that gives me the chills, like the Black Eyed Peas, “I’ve got a feeling, that tonight’s going to be a good night,” and when that happens is know that he is probably going to be right and that tonight really is going to be a good night!
Don’t you love it when they sing! It’s just precious! My 4 year old doesn’t quite remember the song I sang to him, but I had a similar experience when his younger brother was crying in the car and Hayden (4 y.o.) started singing him the song I’ve sung him since he was a newborn.
Melts.
My.
Heart.
love! what a sweet darling moment for you to cherish!!
A reason to keep on making My JOYFUL noises!! Thanks for this peek into your heart temple. I could feel God smiling reading this.
Wow – what a great metaphor – a heart temple – thanks for that!
What a magical scene to recreate for your readers! The sound of that little voice, singing a song so dear to your heart and his, must’ve been angelic. You’re one of my favorite blogs, and when my Reader signals a new post from you, I read it immediately. Thanks for such a beautiful story.
Oh sweet deliciousness – you just made my day!! Thanks so much for your lovely words – did you feel that? That was me just ((hugging)) you!!
Awwww, so incredibly sweet. Praise God for these days, when it’s like His warm embrace in a little 4 year old boy form, reminding us that being a Mama really is one of the best gifts from above.
Yes, that’s *exactly* what it’s like!