{Originally published on T with Honey and titled A Moment Almost Missed}

The little curly haired girl crawled out of her mother’s lap and headed over to the box of toys. It was time to pick out a special friend to take to bed to be cuddled through the night. After careful consideration she picks up Baby Bop.

As per her usual habit she lays the toy on its tummy, finds a little blanket and begins to tuck Baby Bop into bed. The blanket doesn’t go down right the first time so she lifts it up to try again. As she does the little girl notices that Baby Bop has a friend. In the pocket on the front of Baby Bop’s outfit is a little stuffed piggy.
The little girl picks up her toy and asks “What this?” Her mommy repies, “It’s Baby Bop’s toy.”

“Oh, what this called?” she said pointing to the pink toy. “It’s a piggy”
The little girl is curious about the piggy. She wants to pull it out, look at it and ask more questions. Her mommy just wants her to crawl in bed and go to sleep. It’s getting late.

The toddler’s inquisitiveness takes a stronger hold. She points at the little animal and asks for the fourth time, “What this called?”
The mommy flatly states, “It’s a piggy.” Then with more than a little exasperation in her voice she says, “Princess, it is time for bed. You need to stop this. Lay down and go to sleep.”

The little girl’s arms sag and she glances at her mommy’s face. Her mother’s eyes meet hers for just a fraction of a second but the girl’s frustration and sadness comes across in that look and stab into her mommy’s soul.

It is then that the mommy realizes that her little girl simply wants to share a few more moments with her. She wants to share and explore this newly rediscovered toy with her favorite person in the whole world.
The mommy picks up the toy in her hand, points to the piggy and asks “Does the pig have a name?”

“No,” says the toddler.

“Would you like to give it a name?”

“Yeah!

“OK. What should the piggy’s name be?”

“Um…. Ruthy!”

“The piggy’s name is Ruthy?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh, that’s a good name. So this is Baby Bop and this is Ruthy.”

Softly the little girl replies, “Yeah.”

Their eyes met again but this time both sets are sparkling and saying “I love you!”
The mommy laid the toy on its tummy and helped the little girl tuck in Baby Bop and Ruthie. Then the little girl plopped on top of the toy and was tucked into bed by her mommy.

A hug. A kiss. “Good night, Princess. Sweet dreams.”

*****
After tucking her in I crossed the room and sat on the rocking chair to conclude our nightly ritual. As I sat there watching my baby lay in bed, rocking to the first of two lullabies that would play before I could leave the room for the night I realized that Princess and I just had a moment. And that I almost missed it.

Once again I was trying to rush through life instead of enjoying it. I was more interested in getting out of that room as soon as possible rather than spend a little more time with my daughter.
As I sat in that rocking chair thinking and watching I felt content. I began to notice a special feeling. It was as if a presence was in the room, an invisible hand sitting on my shoulder. Immediately I thought of my dad. I had this strong impression of him standing right next to the rocking chair, his hand resting on my shoulder and his gaze falling on his granddaughter. Then words came to my mind “You’re doing a good job, poodle. She’s a great little girl. Don’t miss out on being there for her.”

Editor’s Pick by Amanda from The Wink. I found this blog through a comment on my own, the name T with Honey captivating me at first sight. Wisdom, tenderness and an authenticity of narrative are things you can count on from T with Honey. Reading this post made me grateful for the system of checks and balances we have for ourselves if we only take the time to listen and see. You can experience the post as it was originally published here. Whether you like tea or coffee and whether you are a mom or a dad (or neither) T with Honey is a blog you should really explore. Already sold? Sign up for the feed here.