Today I am thankful for:
- the beautiful giving heart of my child.
Today we had friends over, the kiddos to play and momma friend and I to work on a craft project. S/R has been looking forward to and planning out this playdate for a week and a half. Our earlier arrangment for last Wed. fell through and we postponed until today. Little Friend is just as girly and princess-y as S/R, maybe even a little bit more, and that just speaks to S/R's heart. :)
S/R had made a plan that her and Little Friend would dress up like princesses. She in her Sleeping Beauty dress and Little Friend in the Snow White dress. She had hair bows picked out and everything, lying out in her room since last Tues evening. This morning, she carefully moved both dresses into our den and laid them out meticulously on a trunk. She was ready!
Little Friend got here, S/R presented "the plan" and both girls jumped into their dresses immediately and had the best time ever. They were utterly adorable.
Several hours later, it was time for Little Friend to go home. Momma Friend called Little Friend over and told her it was time to take the dress off and head home. Little Friend was devastated. She had fallen in-love with the pretty princess dress and it was hard on her little heart to give it back. S/R saw Little Friend crying and piped up, "It's ok! Little Friend can take it home! I don't mind!" Momma Friend responded exactly like I would have with a, "Oh no honey! It's ok! She'll be fine. She can wear it again next time we come over!"
S/R quietly walked over to me, leaned in and said, "Momma? Can I please give Little Friend my Snow White dress? It would make her happy."
I looked at this little girl of mine. Her face was so honest and dear. I struggled internally because I had an emotional tie to that dress. It had been give to S/R on her 3rd birthday by another little friend who gave it from her own collection to bless S/R, knowing how much my (at the time) tiny girl loved to dress up. And S/R wears that dress frequently. But, the struggle only lasted a few moments as I realized the beautiful heart of giving and the desire to offer love to her friend that S/R had. Shame on me for even hesitating 1 second!
"S/R, it's your dress. If you want to give it to Little Friend, you go right ahead if you feel that that's the right thing to do."
Her face lit up. "Ok momma!" and she ran and grabbed the dress and went running out the door to give it to Little Friend.
Momma Friend looked up from putting shoes on another little person's foot and said, "Oh no! She doesn't have to do that! It's her dress! Little Friend will be ok!"
I shrugged and said, "Dear, that dress belongs to her and I can not deny her the blessing of giving something to a friend. She wants to give and I can't tell her 'no.'"
S/R came back in, I never did see Little Friend's reaction, but it doesn't matter. As they were pulling out of the driveway a minute latter, S/R was standing beside me, holding onto my skirt and rubbing her face on it a bit. I was instantly worried that she was crying and having remorse over giving away her dress, but holding sleeping S. in my arms I couldn't bend down to see her face to check, so I just said, "S/R? Are you ok dear?"
"Oh momma," she said and looked up at me with her eyes all lit up and the biggest smile on her face, "I'm so happy!"
I'm not a crying person. Most people, my children included, have rarely - if ever- seen me cry, but that right there made me want to go find a quiet corner and cry.
I took a moment to hug her tight and tell her how proud I was of her and what a big heart she had for other people and how much I loved that about her.
She was on cloud 9. All evening! (Not from me words, but from her own actions.) She quietly told her daddy when he got home what she had done and how happy it had made her to be able to give something to Little Friend that she loved so much. I know it seems like a kind of small thing, but to me, it was huge. I struggle with giving things away because I want to save them "for the future." "I might need it some day!" is a thought that runs through my head frequently while cleaning out. Watching my child so freely, quickly, and unabashedly give something, pretty dear to her, away without a 2nd though was a big deal. I'm so thankful to see my own personal areas of struggle have not all trickled down to my children. S/R is a much better person than I will probably ever be.
O. and S/R in the Snow White dress on her 3rd birthday.
S/R in the Snow White dress, age 5 1/2, just 3 days after breaking her arm this summer.
