07-Dec-2016
18
FEB
A tank full of love
By Dani Higginbotham
Whilst her beauty was clearly evident to all, it was something that extended far beyond her stunning combination of Samoan and Caucasian heritage. In her presence you could feel the warmth and acceptance. Her sparkling eyes would engage you and her smile put you at ease. Despite her good looks there was nothing threatening or intimidating about her. She had the ability to illuminate the room and draw out the best in everyone around her.
As I pondered what it was that made her so different from the crowd, it became more evident as she spoke of her family. She has two parents that love her and who have always been there for her, and she has Jesus at the centre of her everything. Meeting her mum, more of the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. A lady of love and grace. A heart so full, yet always room for others that need the touch of her mothering embrace.
So many people have told me how fast the time goes. How one minute I’ll look at my three littlies still playing in the sandpit and tantrumming on the floor of Pak’nSave, and before I know it they’ll be off to college and doing their own grocery shopping. But how much do I really listen and heed the warnings to not let the years slip through my fingers when the sleepless nights of young children seem never-ending.
When I think of that young lady who could light up a room with her smile, it encourages me that I am in fact ploughing a field that one day will reap a great harvest…
Every time I choose to look my child in the eye and attentively listen as he shares every detail of his pre-school day, I am filling a tank fuelled with love and acceptance.
Every time I lift him off the ground and soothe his grazed knees, wrapping him in warm cuddles and soft kisses, he is being prepared for his future falls that will inevitably come.
What I pour into him now is a precious sustenance that runs deep to the very core of his being, telling him who he is and what he’s capable of.
And one day someone will look at him and wonder… Why is he so different from the crowd? Why does his smile run so deep?
And maybe, or maybe not, they’ll think and know - it’s because his mother loved him so.