“Be gentle to all and stern with yourself.”
Saint Teresa
Sometimes I marvel at the unlikely situations that fill me with pride. Nose-blowing for example.
Pip has maintained a fairly positive attitude despite her nasty cold. I feel as though I’ve been wiping her nose intermittently for the past two weeks, and I have a new appreciation for how she feels because I’ve now caught the bug.
I was reading her a bed-time story when I was overcome by a coughing fit. “I know you’re sick, Mama, but you just follow the dream that I had for you, the dream to not be sick anymore, and each day you’ll feel a little bit better.” She comforted me by rubbing my arm, and as she was doing so, she noticed my attire. “Hey Mama, you’re really wearing a lot of black! You’re like one big black flower!”
She made me laugh, which in turn made her laugh. “Have you seen a black flower, Pip?” I honestly wasn’t sure if there was such a thing.
“Of course, Mama, you’re a black flower!” As my daughter showered sweetness upon me, a heavy stream of clear fluid started snaking its way out of her nose.
“Let me get a tissue for you,” I said.
As I was wiping Pip’s tender little nose for the umpteenth time I took note of a bit of chafed skin beneath her nostrils. “Was I gentle enough, Honey?” I asked her empathetically.
She looked at me with sincerity and replied, “Mama, you’re the gentlest nose-blower in all the world.”
A title I’m extremely proud to hold.
