He Takes My Heart With Him

A Sister's Love

My four year old prayed for Jack tonight. His ear infection didn't clear up completely and so is back and painful.

Ashley is very succinct in her prayers, usually. "God, thank you for this beautiful day. Amen." Or she'll bargain with me that if I say her prayers for her tonight, she'll say them the next night. Usually, however, as I say Nate's prayers with him, she'll interupt to add various thank-you's and God-bless's. Funny girl.

Tonight, she speed-prayed her gratefulness for the beautiful day and listened quietly to Nate's prayers. Then, she popped her head up and said, "I need to add something to my prayers, Mom."

"And, God, please help Jack to feel all better and not to hurt anymore, because he's very sweet and such a cute baby. Amen."

This little girl has loved Jack forever. When he was in the NICU for those ten days after he was born, she would cry at night and ask us to "bring her Jack home." When he goes to bed at night, she makes sure she gets to give him a hug and kiss first. When he cries, she comes running. She rubs his head and saves him a seat on my lap. When she's loving him and he gets a little too smothered and cries, she sucks her thumb and stares forlornly at him. We call her Jack's "little" mother.

And he couldn't ask for a better one.