Love and Belly Buttons

While I was driving around town, running errands this morning, Claire piped up from the back seat.

"Guess what, Mommy?"

"What?" I asked, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.

"I love you."

"Thank you.  You know what?"

"What?" she asked.

"I love you, too!" I said.

It was quiet again for a moment, then she asked, "What does it mean when you say, 'I love you'?"

"What do you think it means?" I asked.

"It means 'I like you.'  It means that we are all different.  Some of us love God, and some of us don't love God.  But we still pray for each other and play with each other.  Even if we're different, we're still nice."

Glup. 

My heart was starting to go all mushy on me, and I was thinking, "Wow.  She's barely four, and she's talking like she's forty."  As I was thanking God for reminding me of His love through my children, she started talking again.

"I have an outie belly button.  Lindsay's is an innie.  Hers goes way in.  When I sit down, mine kind of goes out even more."

I smiled inside.  I smiled and praised God for His love and for belly buttons.