Special moments and a lesson learned

I have to get this down because I don't want to forget. It had been a kind-of long day yesterday and I was admittedly a little edgy, I don't even know why. Anyway, I took Kaiya up to get her ready for bed and we finished her routine. Then, she went over and grabbed a blanket from her crib and came over and just sat down in my lap and snuggled up really close to me. These days, and because she is almost two, there is not a whole lot of time in her world for snuggling, so I thought, what a treat!! But it just got better from there. She sat in my lap, all curled up close to me and STAYED there. For about a half hour. Usually our cuddles last a mere few seconds and then she is on to the next big adventure. But last night, she just wanted to sit with me. And it melted my heart. Especially after a long day. So, I figured while I had the chance, I would get in some talk time with my sweet girl. I did all the talking, she just sat quiet and listened. I talked to her about a lot of things. I talked about her adoption and Jessika and the story of our waiting for her for so many years and how she was worth EVERY second that we longed for her. I told her how I would ALWAYS be there for her, as her mother and as her friend and that I would always try my best to protect her and take care of her. I told her how I would do anything in this world for her. I told her of all the people in her life that loved her. I talked to her about the love of her Father in Heaven and Jesus and how THEY would always be there for her. I told her how much her nana and papa missed her. And then we just sat and enjoyed the quiet together, just holding onto each other.

It was in those few precious moments of quiet, as I held her close, that I was taught a very important lesson. Lately, I have found that I can get a little frustrated with Kaiya's sensitivity. She cries when Taylor cries and sometimes having TWO crying girls gets a little annoying. Or she will follow me around when she is feeling particularly needy and say "mama" about 8,000 times, needing me to hold her and sometimes I just don't have the hands free to do that. But last night, I LEARNED. I finally learned a very valuable lesson from my little Kaiya. I learned that her sensitivity is such a GIFT and something that makes her so incredibly special and that I would not change that about her for anything. That she cries because she doesn't like to see her sister sad. That she follows me around because she wants me to just stop sometimes and see what is most important in my life -- that the dishes and laundry can all wait, but my moments with my little girl cannot. I had a thought come to me that one of the many reasons that Kaiya was sent to me to be my daughter was so that she could teach ME. Teach me how to be more kind, more soft and gentle, and more aware of other people's needs. The way that she is all of those things. I was so humbled by the realization of all of these things and I felt so honored to be the mother of a such an incredibly special little girl with the heart as big as eternity. I felt so grateful for those precious moment with her last night where we talked and where I LEARNED from one of God's most special children. Isn't it amazing how much these sweet spirits can teach us, if we just take the time to let them? Funny, isn't it, that we think we have so much to teach THEM, but they truly are the master teachers. I am determined to more fully follow the example of my sweet girls. I want to be more like them!