Love is Paper

I was reminded earlier this week of something my daughter said. Actually it was a domino effect of little memories one after another. First my husband during an oratory he was delivering at church was reminded once of when our daughter was little more than a toddler and she was asked to clean up her toys. She explained as she sat in her chair upside down (this was not an unusual position for her; she often sat in chairs upside down, on her back or head with her feet in the air). She responded that she was being Mary and not a Martha, from the Gospel of John, Mary the one who dwelled with Jesus whilst Martha scurried about preparing food and doing necessary work. In my opinion Martha always got a bad rap.

According to her 3- or 4-year-old theology she was choosing the “better” way. When actually she really just needed to get down off the chair, right-side up and help clean up her toys.

His memory spurred me into one of my own. In this memory Grace is very, very young. In my mind’s eye I am changing her diaper. Albeit, I let her wear diapers probably way too long, putting off potty training until the last minute. Anyway, I was changing her diapers and she looked up at me and said, Love is paper.

Now paper is very important in our family. We love to write on and draw on paper. We would save huge sheets of it and make and tell stories while drawing away. Long trails of narrative and stick figures and horses and fairy castles and girls with long hair and crowns.

Grace was repeating something she had heard at daycare or from children’s church. Love is patient. In her world—what’s better than love is patient except when love is PAPER!

This particular memory has dwelled with me for years (as she is now 26 and living on her own). This week she plans to come over and “borrow” some Christmas ornaments to decorate her own tree in her own little apartment. All those memories we made together will continue to grow and morph and expand into her own set of memories.