After a long day at work, around 8:30 p.m. I finally walked in the door, and my 3-year-old ran up and hugged me as she always does, but then she looked up at me and smiled and said, “Thanks for coming home, Momma.”
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She didn’t say:
Why did you go to work?
Why do you leave me almost every day?
Why couldn’t you be home sooner?
Why weren’t you here for dinner?
You missed out on so much today.
She says none of those things because those are my insecurities, not hers.
I’m a mom who fiercely loves her children but I worry they may doubt that love if I’m not physically there the way I think I should be.
But it’s a reminder that love is not always physical. Real, authentic, unconditional love does not require physical proof 24/7.
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It’s the reason I believe we can so vividly feel the love of our loved ones after they’ve passed away—they have left a legacy of love that cannot be erased.
And I can only hope I’m leaving that same legacy.
So instead of hating myself for having to leave, I rejoice in the fact they love when I come home. I’m so thankful for the reminder that unconditional love celebrates homecomings far more than they obsess over shortcomings.
Love your children, love them well, and they will be OK.