Kennedy. Middle child. Baby number Three. She gets the least amount of attention in the house of seven. She always does what she’s told, typically before anyone has to even make a peep to her. 

This child of mine does everything with love. 

She just asked to change the baby’s diaper. 

I watched her do it slowly as she’s still unsure and gets a little confused. But he laid there probably five or six minutes while she did it so lovingly and with such gentleness. 

Myself, of course I can whip a diaper on and off within seconds. I’m a master at diapers and consider myself to be “gentle”; however he’s usually kicking and squirming in the 10-15 seconds I try to get it done. 

But as I watched her talk to him so lovingly, sing to him, do this ordinary process as if it was her top task of the day for her, he felt it and knew it with his entire being. 

Ironically, I just got done watching a video my Dad sent me of sweet Mother Angelica talking about the “easiest” way to get to Heaven – to always do everything with love and to do the will of God in each present moment (yes, much easier said than done, right?)

But it hit me: my eight-year-old daughter does 99.8% of the things in her life with love – whether she wants to do them or not. 

The little things she treats like the big things, and she makes everyone feel loved and safe and important around her. 
I truly watched her as I was mesmerized – my eight-year-old showing my 37 year old self how to go about things with more grace and patience as Jesus would. 

In motherhood, so often I pride myself on how “quickly” I can get things done while in “survival mode” and quickly usually means hastily. 

Thank you, Sweet Girl, for another reminder of how to be more Christ-like right before my eyes.