Photo A Day, Day 2: In My Hand

I am a very tactile person. I like the feel of things. I like to touch things. I like comparing textures and weights. I think that’s one of the reasons I love to sew: I love the contrast of soft, slippery satin and rough, nubby corduroy. I love the feeling of a piece of fabric sliding between my fingers. A lot of the things that I enjoy I can connect to my love of touching. I love to go canoeing because I like the feeling of dragging my fingertips in the cool water. I like going to the beach because I like the feeling of the damp sand squishing between my toes. I like cooking because I like the feel of touching the elastic bread dough and the mushy ground beef and the slippery raw eggs and the cold vegetables. And because of my love of touching, I especially love to touch my children.

I am constantly hugging and kissing my children, running my fingers through their hair, scritching their backs, and holding their hands. They’re both young enough that they like it (or at least tolerate it), but I have no doubt that the day is coming when the most physical contact I’ll get will be a brief hair ruffle. So I’m taking advantage of their snuggliness while I can.

One of my favorite snuggly moments is my daughter’s naptime. She is working her way out of needing a nap, so she fights it tooth and nail. But I’ve discovered that one way to get her to relax and let herself fall asleep is to snuggle with her. I lay down on the couch or on her bed and pull her close to me. She knows what I’m up to, so she often pulls away. But as she starts to fall asleep, she almost inevitably reaches out and wraps her hand around mine. She may act like she doesn’t need to touch me, but in her half-asleep state, she still reaches to Mama for comfort.

I love that. I will always love having her hand in my hand. Because I know that means I have her heart in my hand, too.