I’ll love you forever…
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.
So I read that book last night to Sophia. I’m not sure it was my first time reading it, but it sure struck a chord with me. I even struggled a couple times to read it without crying. (I wasn’t ready to explain why I was crying.)
At first I was like, “Oh, I can totally understand/appreciate that!” Then I thought it was kind of funny that she was still rocking him as an adult. (And, how did she pick him up? He had to be heavy! And he never woke up? I want that child!)
At the end, the mom calls. She’s sick and tells him he should probably come over. He goes over and she starts the poem, but “can’t” finish. (Did she die? I think perhaps.) The son picks up his mom and rocks her, saying the poem to her.
It rocked me to the core. All I could think about was my mom and/or dad dying. Let’s face it, they aren’t getting any younger. And, anything could happen to end any of our lives at any point. But I’m not ready to face this huge loss in my life. My parents are so special to me, to my family. I can’t fathom how deep of a loss this will be, for me, for my kids, for my siblings.
When the son is done with his mom, he goes back home, goes into his baby daughters room, picks her up, rocks her, and says the poem to her. It was the sweetest thing. Life starting a new. Again, tears in my eyes. Such a sweet memory to pass along to another generation.
Tonight, Sophia was fake crying in her room. I asked her what was wrong, and she didn’t answer. I asked her if she need some attention and she said yes. We talked for a little bit. Before I left, she wanted a “big hug” — her words. When she finishes, I look at her and say, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” She looked right into my eyes and smiled. She said, “That’s from Grandma’s book. I like that book.” What could I do but hug her again and tell her I love her? (And Drew, too.)
