You are my best friend

There have been many moments when Laken has taken my breath away, but not many like tonight.  Trust me when I say 'you had to be there', but I'll do my best to capture the moment with words.  So, we were going through our nightly ritual which involves the following:

Potty
Teeth brushing (which unless you are a rookie or a fool, you will let her do every step HERSELF)
Flying into her crib
Two books
A prayer
A song
Rock a bye baby (Laken loves being dropped into her bed at the end of the song)
Saying 'night night' to each of her animals-- puppy, kitty and monkey (she loves when you get their names wrong, followed by a big "OOPS!").
Scratching her back ('under my shirt')
One more drink
and finally, 'night night, Laken'.

We had a bit of a rough time leading up to bedtime as I was on the phone and Laken was, well, being 2.  So I took a few extra minutes at bedtime time to hold her and tell her how much I love her 'when she's loud and when she's quiet, when she's happy and when she's mad, when she's hungry and when she's not', etc.  She seemed to revel in this.  Looking up at me adoringly, maybe relieved to hear all this.  She laid down and took my hand, using it to rub her own face.  And then a moment I will never forget.  Laken said to me with all sincerity "You are my best friend".  Her very own words of love spoken to me.  They were not repeated from me and where they were repeated from, I do not know.  They were her own words, coming from her heart, unexpected....undeserved.  I quickly thanked her, trying my hardest to reinforce this gesture with a smile, but quickly said 'night night' and exited the room crying before she could witness such pathetic sappiness.  Just kidding.  I tried to explain my tears to Barrett when I showed up sobbing in the living room, and could only determine (other than having PMS), that one day she would no longer feel this way about me and that made me sad.  I also knew that the moment that just pierced my heart with joy had come and gone that quickly and there was no way of getting it back.  Ever.  She's getting older, time is moving along, and I can't bottle those moments up and take them with me to use when I really need them.  And finally, I was humbled.  I hadn't deserved such an act of grace.  I had been pretty short with her leading up to bedtime.  More than I care to admit even writing this.  Her love for me is new and fresh every few minutes despite what may have occurred moments before.  She is so eager to please me and possibly loves me more unconditionally than any human being in my life ever has.  You can never feel deserving of this kind of love, as I know from my relationship to Jesus over the years.  Only be eternally grateful, try to reciprocate as much as you are capable of and pay it forward to those less fortunate.  So, today I want to thank God for giving me this beautiful creature to love.