The beach in my pocket

My six year old loves to do art projects. He uses markers and scissors and glue to create custom "surprises" for family and friends. He would rather do this than just about anything else.

The other day he asked me, "Mommy, what do you like?" I told him that I like lots of things like hiking and flowers and the beach.

A little while later he brought me a tiny package, about the size of a kidney bean, and said, "this is a surprise for you! Open it!"

I carefully opened the wrapping paper that he made from white paper and glue. Inside I found this:



He said that it was the beach and he wanted to give it to me because he knew that I liked it. He gave me the beach! The beach!

Really, this is just a tiny piece of paper with a bit of marker doodle on it but, to me, it is so much more than that. I know the love that went into the idea and creation of it. I know that his giving me this gift was his way of giving me the feeling that he gets when he receives a "surprise" from us. Mommy tears. Love this kid!

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson