rewards of gentleness

Yesterday afternoon, I was putting Bo down for his nap.

As sometimes happens, he was more interested in squirming all over than closing his eyes and resting.

I sat in the rocking chair in his room, watching as he pulled his socks off and 

wriggled around until his head was at the foot of the bed.

Eventually, I decided to lie down next to him and see if that would help him calm down.

I plopped my head on "Pudge", my old stuffed bear that has been passed on to Bo.

Bo snuggled up next to me, and proceeded to kick at the bed frame and wiggle around.

I felt frustration building and swallowed the urge to tell him strongly to lie still.

Instead, I whispered, "I love you, Bo."

He popped his head up and whispered, "I love you, too," and planted a kiss on my cheek.

And fell asleep about two minutes later.

I need to cling to little moments like that as a reminder that gentleness can produce great rewards.

If I want my son to be "kind and gentle" - a phrase we're saying a lot these days - 

then I need to model that for him. 

I'm grateful for a little boy who is so full of grace toward his mama as we learn together.