Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

All of the Time

I hadn’t seen Gabriel (7) for about five days, and before that I had only seen him briefly. It felt like an eternity, even though it really wasn’t.

The moment I saw him, I wrapped him in a big hug, held his sweet face in my hands, and said, “I missed you so much. I thought about you all the time.”

With complete sincerity, he looked back at me and said, “Oh, Vavi, I love you. I thought about you too. But not all the time—I had other things to think about: school, the cats, reading, and my own thoughts. But I did think about you.”

It was a sweetly honest response. Children have a way of telling the truth so simply, and it makes their love go straight to the heart.

photos of Gabriel reading to his sister.

Comments

5 responses to “All of the Time”

  1. Jeanne Caron

    How sweet and precious are the children and their honesty

    Reply
  2. Pam

    This child…❤️❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
  3. Kathy

    Sweet, sweet boy…💕

    Reply
  4. Teddee Grace

    So cute. Tellin’ like it is. I still am waiting with curiosity to see what this one turns out to be.

    Reply
  5. Stubblejumpers Cafe

    My son Emil, age 38, is still a child in many ways. When he comes to my home for a weekend, on the day he goes back to his own place he asks “Will you miss me, Mom?”
    I say, “Yes and no. Yes, because I love having you here. No, because I can see you whenever I like. Why do you ask me this all the time?”
    “I’m just trying to be nice.”
    “You are nice, without trying,” I say. “But ‘missing’ is more for when we don’t see someone we love for a very long time.”
    “Well I’m being kind.”

    He’s kind, he’s nice, but I don’t think he really understands the concept of “missing someone” yet. I keep trying to explain, but it may be something he never really “gets.” Or maybe he will. Or maybe it doesn’t matter.

    -Kate

    Reply

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