Joy

I call her name from across the house; she turns to look at me.

I smile; she smiles.

I speak to her; she looks me in the eye.

I come home from school and tiptoe to her doorway, singing hello; she whips her head around, grins, drops what she's doing and runs to me with her arms outstretched in the universal sign for "Pick me up."

*****

I load a favorite movie; she sits with me.

She gets the nuances of the facial expressions, the music, the actions on the screen.

I say her name; she looks at me and smiles, scootching her little Pull-Up clad tush across the couch to give me a smooch.  Unsolicited.

She goes back to watching the movie, not even realizing she's resting her hand on my lap.  I don't have the heart to move until she does.

*****

I live in this world which is inhabited by everyone and everything I ever loved before my baby girl came along nearly three years ago...and she's finally joining me.