Member-only story
Love
Love Is the Greatest Hand Me Down
How my small gesture made it to the next generation
Rain taps at the windshield. My oldest son drives while his brothers sit in the backseat. Music and conversation alternate through the air and then suddenly there is silence.
“Love you guys,” says my oldest son.
In near unison, the three of us respond, “Love you too.”
It’s a quiet moment in the car that prompts my son’s words.
I smile. I know I have inadvertently handed down something worthwhile. It’s become instinctual for my boys to take in a moment of love while driving. He’s mimicking something I have done for years.
I can’t say for certain when it began.
I think it started when they were just babies. Whenever there would be a momentary pause in the car, I would take it all in. My three little guys.
“I love you,” I’d say.
All three of their little voices chirping back to me.
Don’t get me wrong. We say I love you all the time. It’s second nature in our family. There doesn’t need to be a reason, an occasion, a greeting, or a goodbye. We say it randomly.
