It still amazes me that a child who had nothing, not even a pair of shoes three months ago... can be so generous. One of the hardest aspects of being a new mother is balancing the desire to give with things and focus on giving with love while teaching about giving back, at the same time. Western holidays are so focused on the material that it's easy to fall into the trap while trying so hard not to. Valentine's Day... a perfect example. Teddy bears and mile high chocolate boxes everywhere in sight. As the holiday approached I sat with Kajal and explained that Valentines Day was a day when people exchanged cards to express their love. I talked about how important it is that we show are love all the time, every day. At least, I tried to explain this but it's hard when sentences and concepts are still to foreign to grasp... only words seem to make themselves through to her. But somehow, she got it. We made handmade Valentines together about two weeks before the holiday. It only took a few days before Kajal was cutting out her own hearts. Every day, she cut more and more and smiling would come up to me, with hands held behind her back and so cutely say, 'Mommy... close your eyes, hold out your hands' (just like I'd done with some little present or other in the past) and she would place the valentine hearts, she'd cut out so lovingly, in my hands. By the time Valentines Day arrived there must have been over 50 hearts pasted on every wall and window in our apartment. I had given her some tiny little boxes filled with those timeless Necco hearts and suggested one night she could give them out to some of our friends in the dog park. Out she came with me, as we walked our dog Logan... and at first, shyly... she would approach our dog friends 'parents'. "Happy Valentines" she'd say and hand them a heart or a little Dora card with a tiny box of candy. As she saw the happy reactions she got bolder and bolder. Commuters started making their way home after long, weary days, walking through the park. Kajal started to approach these strangers, she'd walk right up to them, hold out her hand and say 'Happy Valentines'. The looks on their startled, exhausted and sometimes grumpy faces were precious. 'Really' they'd ask and she would just smile and say 'yes! really'. She emptied her pockets of every last, card, heart and piece of candy and went home a happy girl.
`Showing Grandma how to make a Valentine
opening her own Valentines
Mom's valentines for Kajal
Kajal dancing at her school Valentine's dance wearing one of her 'India' skirts... dancing makes her so happy... she literally loses herself in abandon
With another friend at school... another child of India