A simple thing

I have seen this little boy many times so far through out the school year. This young man, has a left arm that was never fully developed. It stops just at the elbow with some very small finger like stubs at the end. I never really gave him a lot of thought and I've always treated him like everyone else. Mostly, because he is. I'd be telling a fib if I said he didn't pull at my heart just a little.

While in the library Friday, Mina for what ever reason noticed him for the first time. After he left the room, she had a million questions, all of which I didn't have the answers to....

Mina: "Mommy, why is his arm like that?"

Me: "Honey, I don't know." "That is how he was born, but that doesn't make him any less special."

Mina: "I know, but will his arm ever grow like mine is?"

Me: "No, that is the way it will always be."

Mina: "Really, even when he's big like you, he won't have all of his arm?"

Me: "No. He will grow up but his arm will never finish growing."

Mina: "Oh Mommy, then he will NEVER be able to give a hug."

Me: "Baby, yes he will, they will just feel a little different than your hugs, but they will be just as great."

I suddenly felt sad and proud all at the same time. I thought, "Man, of all the thing that he won't be able to do "so called" normally, like wear a ball mitt, do a hand stand, hold the handle bars on his bike, hand walk across the monkey bars or even raise that hand in class........Mina thought of him being unable to give a hug. A simple thing, yet so VERY important, even in the eyes of a child.

Once she realized what she had said, she looked up at me, threw her arms around my hips and gave me the tightest squeeze. I immediately, scooped her up and just held her without saying another word.


"Sometimes it's better to put love into hugs than to put it into words."

~Author Unknown