A sweet memory

From my journal, written Dec 9 , 1980.
KC was 3, almost 4 and Camille was 2 and 4 months. In North Carolina, still in graduate school.

Clyde was gone to his evening class. I was making orange coconut bread and KC kept trying to help and yet doing things that irritated me. I got upset when he almost spilled all the orange juice. He just looked at me like he turned his ears off. Then just one minute later he started singing "Love One Another" all the way through - boy did that make me feel small. After he left the room I started to feel bad for my silly upset and began to shed a few tears. KC walked in and asked, "Why are you crying?" I told him I felt bad for getting upset at the orange juice and he hugged me and said, "I like you so much, I love you, I'll go get you some toilet paper." (Maybe we were too poor to buy Kleenex?) Then Camille came in and she said, "I want to love, too." So KC gave her a big hug. When she went to bed she said, "Let me kiss you so you won't be sad."
Little children do teach us how to be humble over and over with their sweet forgiveness. If I had not apologized to KC I may have been grumpy till bedtime and missed his sweet hugs and words and Camille's tenderness.

Many thanks to all my children for teaching me, stretching me, loving me, and allowing me to grow as their mother.