finger touches

it's the little things that you love and cherish the most, isn't it?
memories from childhood you hold tight.
daily routines with your angels.
smells. touches. textures.
your favorite t-shirt that's ripped and torn and- you get the picture.

i witnessed one of these moments yesterday, several actually.
my hubby came home early from out of town and i picked him up from his shop in the early afternoon. the first thing i saw was his smile, i love his smile.
it's the little things.

we went and got the children from Ms. T's house shortly after. they knew he was coming home and had been talking about it non-stop. when we walked in, they were busy being kiddos, not paying attention to much except their friends. they saw daddy. squeals! sweet dimples are glowing, eyes are shining, arms are wrapping and holding on tight. their little legs are working hard to climb up the big daddy mountain. oh, the delight!
daddy is beaming. you can feel his smile radiating from across the room.
his smile. i love his smile.
it's the little things.

we had to stop at the gas station and pick up a few things on the way home. daddy gets out, goes in the store, walks back to the car and he stops at Mark Patrick's window. daddy presses his pointer finger against the glass.
instinctively, Mark Patrick's tiny pointer meets his daddy's finger perfectly on the opposite side of the glass. they both laugh. daddy says, "Man-man, I've missed that every single day I've been away."
he smiles. i love his smile.
it's the little things.

we've been home a while now. Norie is snuggled up with her dah-tee. (she likes to pretend like she's little, sometimes; when she's not acting 25) i see him smell her hair, caress her little face. she scoots a little closer- just a little closer. daddy makes us all feel just a bit safer, more secure, protected.
he smiles.
i. love. his. smile.

i don't have to travel with my job. i see these precious sparkles of light our children give us, everyday. i've never had to be away; never had to miss these moments that stop our hearts with bursts of love. and it made me wonder...why is it so hard to immerse ourselves in these bright flashes of life, in the moment, as they happen, everyday?
for me, i've realized, it's time. i rush through life-organizing, cleaning, cooking, disciplining, working, re-organizing, working, cleaning, cooking, chauffeuring, doctoring, feeding, washing, working, cleaning, cooking...
i'm gonna be certain today-to slow down the madness. take inventory. prioritize. sweep away the unnecessary. apply the moment, to the moment.

we missed daddy.
he missed the little things.
finger touches.