Καληνυχτα

I had my men’s Bible fellowship group tonight. The discussion ran long, so I didn’t get home until right after Troy had gone to bed. Fortunately for me, he was still awake. You see, we have a nighttime routine that we both look forward to, and I was afraid that I was going to miss it. We do this routine no matter what, even if we’ve had a bad night, I’ll take a few minutes to breathe and then go back in there to him. I don’t want us to go to bed angry with each other.

Anyway, I came into the room, and he whispered, “Hey, dada.” So, I whispered back, “Hey, bud.” Then, as I moved toward his bed, he reached his little arms up to me. I bent over and engulfed him in a hug, as he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. We stayed like that for a few moments, just enjoying the comfort of each other’s embrace. Then, he whispered, “Dada’s home.” I whispered back, “Yeah. I love you.” He answered with, “I love you too.”

I held him for a few moments longer, not that he seemed to want to let go either. Then, I rubbed his back and whispered, “Night, night, bud. I hope you have sweet dreams.” And he whispered back, “Night, night, dada.” I reluctantly let him go, and he wrapped his little arms around his pillow and rolled over to get comfortable.

This is such an important part of my day, and I’m so thankful that I didn’t miss it. I love that moment and the soft, gentle way that he whispers to me. It’s so intimate and real. And I love that we both crave it, even if things haven’t been great between us. It reassures us that things are going to be okay, and no matter what our love for each other is unconditional. Troy is an amazing gift, and all true gifts come down from the Father above.