My trio started school on Monday. I tried not to completely fall apart since this year is only PreK-4 and I know that next year I’ll be a wreck.
As I prepared for all the back to school activities this weekend, including having to pack lunches again, I purchased two special packs of napkins while I was at Target. I thought it would be fun for the kids to have kid-friendly napkins in their lunch kits when they opened them at school the first week. Bold red pirate ship napkins for the boys and bright pink Hello Kitty napkins for the little lady.
I woke early on Monday morning to prepare a big first day of school breakfast and pack their lunches. I sometimes write the kids or Bray notes and wanted to reintroduce the tradition in their lunches. Since the kids are pre-readers, I marked a big I, then a heart, then a U, and signed my name in black marker that would show up.
The kids had a wonderful first day, and as I was talking to the baby in the kitchen Monday night he said, “Mommy, I missed you at lunchtime today when I saw your note to me.” I gave him a big hug and kiss and told him I loved him and we went on with our activities.
I did the same thing with the napkins Tuesday morning when I packed lunches. After dinner, the baby came into the kitchen and said, “Mommy, the same thing happened today,” and he threw his arms around my neck. I asked, “You missed me again?” He nodded yes and then started to cry. Squeezing my neck in his tiger hold while these precious tears wet my check, we stood wrapped together for a minute. “I can stop leaving the notes, I hate to make you sad at lunch,” I whispered into his little ear. “No, no, don’t stop. I love them,” he replied smiling.
There’s a lot to say about words. All the right and wrong ways to use them. But there is nothing more important to say about words than to remind us all to say (or write) I love you. Bray and I tell the kids every morning and every night. We tell each other we love each other every day even if we’ve had a big fight. Our parents tell us they love us whenever we see one another. Heck, sometimes my friends and I even say it.
Telling someone who you love that you love them is one of the most powerful things you will ever do.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me. Psalm 42:8