"Dada"

Like all of my kids, 'dada' was Maria's first word.  She continually says it over and over.  She lights up when he comes home from work and runs as fast as she can to hug him.  During the day she walks around and if she sees something belonging to him, she points and says 'dada'.  His big shoes that sometimes get left in the living room...she walks to them, bends over and emphatically says 'dada'.  Yes, Maria, those belong to daddy.  Yesterday we were walking in from the garage and she saw a 5 gallon bucket with dirt in it from his gardening adventures.  She looked in carefully and then looked to me and said 'dada'.  Yes, she knows that dirt in this house typically belongs to daddy.  She was helping me put the silverware away and found a big serving spoon...'dada'.  I guess anything big or dirty belongs to him !

What I love about this is that at 19 months she knows her daddy.  She pays attention to him when he's home and follows him around learning about him and his habits.  She understands that knowing him means being with him.  What a good lesson about our Heavenly Father. To see something He has created and say 'dada'.  A sunset, a mountain top, a newborn baby, the thousands of unique animals.  To demonstrate patience with a child and know that His grace made it possible.  To forgive a wrong done and know that His forgiveness makes it all okay.

Look around today and see if there is anything for which you can say 'Dada'.