My three year old has a mind and heart beyond her years. Tonight, she oriented me in the right direction when, frankly, I felt tired, frustrated, and wanted nothing more than a break from it all.
Eva's recent illness has put me through many sleepless nights, lots of worry, a few trips to the doctor, fear for the worst, and generally has taken a toll on my day-to-day life. If I didn't work for a firm as gracious as the one I'm at, I imagine I would have fared much worse in this particular period of time. I am forever grateful that I have been able to be present for my baby through this time.
Tonight, I had enough of the worries and I had hubby administer our sweet Eva's breathing treatment. It's hard to sit through your child's misery and I just wasn't feeling up for it. Ryan is as present and supportive of a spouse and father as one could hope for so he volunteered to administer the breathing treatment to Eva without hesitation. I listened on through the baby monitor as he began the treatment. I heard Eva began to whimper and whine.
My heart breaks at hearing her cries. I heard the loud and grating sounds of the breathing machine start pumping out medication. And then I hear beauty and love through the voice of my little girl.
I heard Alessandra through the monitor.
At first, she didn't understand what was going on, so she encouraged Ryan to stop the treatment. She didn't want her baby sister to go through discomfort and confusion and asked Ryan to end it.
Once she understood that the treatment was for Eva's benefit, her goal changed. Instead of having her heart set on ending the treatment, she focused on making the treatment as painless as possible. She tried to entertain, distract, and comfort Eva for those endless minutes through her breathing treatment.
My sweet girl could have been downstairs playing with all the new toys Santa brought her. She could have resented Eva for stealing all the parental attention - even if it was due to a hardship. It never even crossed my dear Alessandra's mind to resent or ignore her little sister's hardship. Instead, she took it upon herself to try to better the situation.
Here I am - 34 years old - sitting this round out, handing the reigns off to Ryan, praying to God, telling Him I just need a break from it all.
Here is my 3 year old, stepping up to the plate, taking on someone else's problem, looking to protect her little sister or - at least - to find a way to alleviate her discomfort.
I thank God for the angels he has sent me.
Please God let me always be a worthy mother.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Matthew 19:14-
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
