sweet as pie

Surely one of the greatest blessings in this life is the love of a child. I used to thank God every day for my dogs, because they were so affectionate and always happy to see me. It does something nice for your ego when another being is so delighted by your very presence. This is nothing, however, compared to the way I feel when Dennis smiles at me when I walk into his room. Dennis's smile lights my universe.

Dennis is a very affectionate child. I don't know if all children are this way, but many are. He likes to give hugs and kisses (a Dennis kiss is an open-mouthed gnawing of your cheek, and it involves much slobbering), and he likes to share his toys and books and food and milk with his Daddy and me. He shares his delight in the world with us, and it has made us happier people. There's something about that little voice that makes us smile whenever we hear it.

I thank God every day for blessing us with Dennis. I am more of a praying person now than ever. I am learning the tradition of morning prayer, and I have an Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. I also download the Morning Prayer podcast from the Episcopal Church of Garrett County Maryland (this is a wonderful resource for newbies to the prayer book ritual), a church I have never seen or attended. I like to listen and pray along on my way to work in the mornings. This is such an incredible free service that I found on iTunes, and there's a prayer and scripture reading every single day, about 12 to 15 minutes worth, and the minister (rev. Chip Lee) allows time for personal intercession and thanksgiving during the podcast, though I often have to pause my ipod to allow ample time for saying thanks for all that is good in my life (and I'm still thankful for my dogs).

Again this morning we read Moo, Baa, La La La over and over, and Goodnight Moon (which he only likes in the daytime) at his insistence, and he "read" them back to us. Today's bird was the cardinal, and Daddy does a cardinal call very well. I think it's interesting that he pulls a different one off the shelf every day to play with. He heard the birds outside this morning, stopped playing to say "bur", and then went and got a bird from his collection to bring to us. I love watching his mind work! Every day he seems to understand a little bit more than the day before. Parenting is the best thing I have done with my life, hands down.