The Greatest Greeting

Yesterday, I arrived home from work to find Amanda and the kids sitting at the kitchen table. Lucas was sitting in a regular chair closest to the entry (not his usual one with the booster seat strapped to it), so I said hello to him first. He told me a few things that he had done that day or that he was currently doing (I forget which) and of course I responded with unabashed interest.

Then while I was standing behind his chair I put my hands on his little shoulders and playfully swiveled him from side to side, followed by a pat on his chest/stomach (one of my hands covers his whole midsection) and an affectionate tussle of his hair.

I then continued on my round of greetings, heading over to where Amanda was feeding Emily so I could say hello to them too. As I was making my way over though, Lucas said "I love you". I looked up and said that I loved him too, but this simple unsolicited statement of affection was really potent and I must say that I was moved by it.

What is the big deal with saying "I love you"? Because it wasn't a ritual statement of love when going to bed, or a response to my saying it to him. It was out of the blue, just because he was feeling enough love at that particular moment to let it spill out of his mouth. And frankly, moments like that just don't happen very often.