I like you!

My son, Gabriel (who is 4 years old), is one of the most affectionate little boys I know. Of course, I'm biased in my opinion, but I sincerely believe he is the most sincere person, too.

Sometimes, without even knowing it, he can be profound. For instance, he often likes to say grace at meals. This is normally the formula he prays (or something similar), "Dear Jesus, thank you for this day and that we are all home." He hardly ever thanks God for the food, but I don't think that's the point.

He's glad that we are altogether as a family. When someone is not home, he prays that they come home soon.

Gabriel is not shy with his affections. He will often come up and without asking or prompting, he will give me a hug and a kiss. I pray that he never grows out of this phase. I do absolutely nothing to squelch the affection either. I give all my boys kisses and am grateful when it's returned, but I never force them to. Gabriel gives the affection back always.

Gabriel is sincere. Whatever Gabriel is feeling at the time, he let's you know. Just the other day, I special ordered a toy that he had been looking for, but had been unable to find. When it came in (three days early!), he was so grateful. He kept saying, "Oh, thank you, Papa! That was so nice of you!" Often times, he will come unbidden and simply declare, "I like you, Papa! You're the best Papa ever!" When he's feeling even better, he's upgrades my status to "love." However, when I am forced to discipline him, he is also not shy about letting me know how he feels about me right then and there. I take it all in stride, knowing that his love for me outweighs the discomfort he is going through with the discipline.

Finally, my son is profound and sometimes unintentionally so. Just the other day, Gabriel came up to me and told me, "God sent me to you so I could love you!" After giving him a big hug, he made me cry.

I have come to cherish the small unexpected gifts that come into my life. Gabriel is one of these. His profound statements of love have impacted me so much. I am grateful to God for him and cannot imagine my life without him.