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.
beautiful
ReplyDeleteWow, so lovely Natasha
ReplyDelete