True Love - Part 1

Every night, Michael puts Jed to sleep. I peek in the door to see the two of them snuggled into Jed's bed, blanket pulled up tight, surrounded by a sea of books that overflows onto the floor. Low light from the lamp spills across the two of them snuggled close. Jed leans against his strong daddy's chest, clutching a sippy cup of warm milk and muttering happily at his dad's latest tale. They wear an identical smile.

I sneak the door shut. It's hard not to watch -- I hear them in their giggling, whispering one to another, and making all sorts of outlandish noises. Ten minutes turns into thirty; the voices grow quiet. I hear a soft, warm baritone gently singing "... has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me..." Eventually even those strains die away. Silence, with the occasional murmur. Then nothing.

Far later, my husband emerges, rubbing his eyes. His hair ruffled, a goofy grin. I look up and an irresistible smile creeps across my own face. He never knows which of them fell asleep first. Just another tired dad putting his sleepy boy to bed, but his face radiates, radiates deep, satisfying joy. And it strikes me that this, truly, is True Love. Love that flows between us, creating life and peace and happiness. True Love found in a family, in a home.