Three simple words. She did not understand.

Three words.

Three simple words. Three deep powerful and meaningful words.

I whispered them in her ear with a smile as I gave her a hug.

Three simple words. And yet she did not understand.

“I love you,” I said with a big grin and warm look. “Tomorrow,” she responded.

A one word response to my three simple words. “Tomorrow.”

Caught off guard and confused by her response, I said it again. And again. Three simple words.

I love you.

Again she responded, “Tomorrow.”

Then it clicked. I understood what she was saying.

Even those three basic words, she did not understand. But she remembered her favorite movie she had been watching on repeat for months. She remembered that when little orphan Annie sings “I'll love you”, she follows it by saying “Tomorrow.”

I started to chuckle. I wanted to cry.

It wasn't that she didn't understand English. After all, our girls speak Portuguese. But it dawned on me that she still didn't understand those words. Their meaning. Their significance. Their power. Those three simple words in Portuguese or in English. “Eu te amo” or “I love you”.

Rape. Abuse. Neglect. Left to die. Helpless. Alone. Robbed. Mistreated. Beaten. Our girls understand these words. But I wanted her to understand a word far greater. A word far greater than any of those words.

Love.

Love that is patient. Kind. Gentle. Selfless. Genuine. Protects. Trusts. Hopes. Perseveres. And never fails.

Love.

I want so badly for our girls. To receive it. To feel it. To embrace it. To share it. To know it.

Love.

I want them to live each day knowing they are loved. They are special. They are worth it.

I want them to understand what it means to be loved. By me. By Evan. By each other. By family. By Jesus. By God our Heavenly Father.

I want them to understand. I want them so badly to understand those three simple words. I love you.

I love you. Today. You don't have to wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow is always a day away. I love you today.

Three words. Three simple words that will forever change your life.

I love you.