Children

As it did to many people this past week, the death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son Jett deeeply affected me. And, typical of a parent, it caused me to think about my own children and how essential and wonderful they are in my life.

I found myself praying: not only for the Travolta family and friends as they grieve and celebrate Jett's life, but for my own children, to bless them and help me remember to appreciate them.

In the midst of all this, my younger daughter slipped into our room one night at the end filled with verbal wrestling. She silently left a small note on the foot of the bed, scurrying off before we could unnecessarily remind her that it was past her bedtime and she should stay in bed. (It was folded, and she had written in pencil on all three sides, with arrows directing me to the next page.)

The note made me glad I hadn't said anything. It also gave me another example of how unconditional God is in his gifts and love. Read it for yourself, and you'll see why (I couldn't find an arrow symbol, so I used text in italics; the rest of the text is hers):

Dear Mommy,

I love you!

I thank you for giving birth to my big sister

and I. You (open) with an arrow

give us food.

You married a great man.

You let us

have a dog.

You give us toys to play

with. I love

you and you

love me. But... flip with an arrow

I LOVE YOU MORE, MOMMY!

(I think so)

Y

There it was. The evidence of God's unconditional love reflected in that of a child. Just what I needed, and I hadn't even asked for it. Kind of like a parent.