Somehow this post disapeared - so I'm reposting it. Aaron wrote this in mid-May.
Yesterday afternoon at work, I reached into my bag and found a small, 1.5 square inch piece of blank paper and smiled. Austin, my eldest son who will turn three on Monday, had placed it in my bag that morning saying, “Daddy, be sure to take this with you to work.” I pulled out the piece of paper and sketched a stegosaurus on one side (because that was one of Austin’s favorite sights at the Natural History Museum earlier in the week) and wrote “I love you Austin!” on the other.
That evening at dinner, I gave him the little note and told him I loved him. As he took the note and marveled at the dinosaur, his little face just lit up and he softly said, “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.” I’ve never seen him so touched. In fact, I didn’t even know a 2-year old could react this way. He was practically frozen in a mixed state of joy and gratitude. During the next few minutes as he carefully handled the note and examined it, he probably said he loved me another five times and thanked me at least twenty times, all the while maintaining a glowing, but maturely calm expression and tone. This was not the exuberance of a child getting his first bicycle or the surprise of someone getting an unexpected gift. Little Austin was the embodiment of sincerity. It was one crystal clear moment in which I knew he loved me and he knew I loved him – you could see it in his sweet face and his bright blue eyes. Both Joyce and I were amazed by his response and we just basked in the moment. Joyce commented to me, “That must have just made your day, your week, your year!” Most definitely. In what has been a year of highlights, this struck my heart like none other. Thank the Lord of grace, peace and love.
Aaron Pierce
That is so sweet! Thanks for sharing this precious moment with us.
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