Reunited!

Few things fill a parent with the anticipation of seeing their child after a long hiatus. After being in Belize for nearly a week we met up with our daughter at Grandma Elda's house and I felt like a child on Christmas morning. To hold her in my arms.

I was curious to know how it would play out. Both grandmas said that nearly every night she said "I miss my mommy and daddy". A few latitudes below we spent our evenings falling asleep saying how much we missed our little tootie. It was as if we were cooing each to our respective bed times from far sides of the world, yearnings carried by the wind like seeds offering promise, longing and love.

She was having a nap when we arrived. I tiptoed up to the cracked door and peered in to see her sprawled out in bed. Did she really grow that much while we were gone? A sudden pang of regret filled me for all the other times we'd been away and all the moments we missed. A wave of pity hit me for any and all parents that don't see their children often, or worse, don't see them grow up at all. It's truly a gift to be alongside a person as they learn to talk, walk, and reach every other milestone afterwards. As my eyes danced over her sleeping body, I recalled all the moments we've shared and how many more are yet to come. Suddenly, she awoke and sat up in her bed as if sensing my presence. I opened the door and sat down next to her. Without either of us saying a word, she walked to my lap, put her arms around me and hugged me. Tighter than usual.

Later on that night as we were falling asleep, she said:
"I missed you daddy"
"I missed you too honey. I missed you so much. I love you more than you can imagine and I love you every single day".

She fell asleep on her stomach but made a point of having her hand on my shoulder. She wanted to know that I was there while she feel asleep and that I wasn't going anywhere.