My sweet boy

My friend, Lillian told me how her sons are tenderhearted and sweet towards her. I don't think I understood what she was talking about until tonight. When I think of Josiah, I think, "Yup, that's my son. The one that likes to destroy things, wrestle and push his sisters, you name it. But these last couple of nights at bedtime he has shown a different side. He has wanted me to put him down! ME! He pointed to the girls room and said,"Daddy, Ali and Sammie go that way." Then he pointed to his room and said, "Mommy and Josiah go this way, ok?" Oh my goodness that just melted my heart.

So, we read stories, brushed his teeth, went to the bathroom, and sang together. Oh, I have to remember to videotape us singing together. It is pretty sweet to hear my little guy sing with me. The only songs he knows and loves right now are: Come and take your place by Jon Thurlow, I remember your faithfulness by Jon, too - only the "No one, no one, no one. There is none like you, Jesus" part, and Supernatural from Hillsongs. Then I prayed for him and he says to me, "Mommy, stay with you." He has a hard time understanding "me" VS. "you." He means to say, "Mommy stay with me." I say, "Mommy, will stay with you." Usually I say,"Let me go get a book." and I sit in the hallway and read until he falls asleep. But the last couple of nights he has been wanting me to climb into his "big boy bed" with him. Tonight was no different. He says,"Mommy, tang tang big boy bed." Tang tang is my pin yin for "lay down" in Chinese. So, I climb into bed with him and he gives me the sweetest smile ever! I say, "I love you, Josiah." And he smiles. Then he starts to cover me with kisses! Six, seven, eight! Oh! What a sweetheart. He kisses my nose to make me laugh and he tries oh so hard to kiss my eyes! He said, "Mommy, I kiss your eyes." A little later he puts out his arm and says, "Mommy, tang tang my arm." It took me a second to understand that him asking me to lay on his arm was his way of asking me to snuggle up next to him! When I "laid" on his arm he giggled and smiled.

So, I write this tonight to remember these moments when my eyes have been opened to understanding why moms have such a hard time saying goodbye to their sons on their wedding day. God loves me so much he gave me my son.