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One of the ways I love her

a parent's devotion.

By A. LuschPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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The bedtime storybook that holds a special place in my family is "How do I love you?" by Marion Dane Bauer. The pages of this book are saturated with the endless love I poured into my daughter's nighttime routine. I couldn't carry children, and that's ok because the children meant for me still found me. I adopted my first child, Nevaeh, when she was three years old. She didn't have stability or even a lot of love in her early years. She, unfortunately, suffered through a lot of trauma in her first three years of life. Add to that; adopted kids have some level of abandonment to work through. Bedtime was the worst time of day. She was terrified to be alone at night. Working off of instinct, we developed a nightly routine: dinner, bath, book, and back rubs.

Despite having a lifetime of trauma packed into this kid's first three years of life, she was one of the brightest shining stars I've ever seen. It was so easy to love her. I never wanted my child to question if I loved her as I would a child I carried. So it has always been my intent to show her my love in any way possible. One of those ways was through this book. I originally bought the book because it was one of the cutest, sweetest books I came across. Little did I know how it would touch both of our lives.

How do I love you? Let me count the ways. I love you as the sun loves the bright blue days. I love you as the bee loves a fragrant flower. (sniff sniff)

This is where the bond and connection come in. We animated the story together. I sniff sniffed at the flower. Most of the pages from here on were written in a way we could add animation. Nevaeh's eyes would shine with love and amusement, anticipation even of what she knew was to come of each page of the book. I guess I tried to bring the book to life for her.

I love you as the thirsty duck loves a sudden shower. (splish splash)

I love you as the bird loves a song to sing. (dooo dooo dooo tweet tweet tweet)

I love you as the waking bear loves the smell of spring ( big deep breath in and ahhhhhhh)

I love you as the cat loves a sunny sill. (meow)

And as the dancing snowflakes love the winter's chill. ( brrrrrrrrrrrr)

How do I love you? Let me tell you how. I love you as the nest loves the sturdy bough.

I love you as the sea loves the sandy shore. (shooo shooo shooo imitation wave sounds)

And as the ancient world loved the dinosaur. (RAAAWWWWWWRRRRRR)

I love you as the wind loves its own sweet sound. (woooosh shooo wooooosh shoooo)

And as our friendly earth loves to spin around. (doodooodooo)

I love you as the moon loves each shining star. I love all that you will be and everything you are. (big kiss on the forehead).

The end. Goodnight, sweet love.

Every single night. This book was one way that cemented my love for her. She is a teen now, and she, without a doubt, knows I would go to the ends of the galaxy for her. She cherishes this book. She keeps it safe. It is a physical extension of our love. She isn't too proud or embarrassed by her mother loving her. She is unique and mature beyond her years. I am beyond grateful to the author, and I hope to one day read the exact book to my grandchildren.

children
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About the Creator

A. Lusch

Non-Binary author

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