It begins...

Two days ago my family was sitting in the living room following dinner. My husband was working on his computer, I was reading (of course), and the kids were beginning their homework. Suddenly, my second grader jumped up and loudly exclaimed, "Oh! I forgot to tell you!"

My husband's head snapped up, and visions of unsigned permission slips, missed parent/teacher meetings, and overdue library books rolled through my mind. We looked at each other, communicating silently as only parents can do. Uh-oh...what now?

Seeing the expressions on our faces, Scott worked quickly to soothe us. "No. No. It's nothing bad! I just have something in my pocket to show you!"

Sean and I relaxed visibly. Scott pulled out a tiny scrap of paper and carefully unfolded it. Then, he proudly handed it to me. "I got it from Ariana!"

Written in tiny, penciled letters were the words, "I love you." Under the words was a small, misshapen heart. Relieved, I laughed out loud and passed the scrap of paper to my husband.

He smiled. He shook his head. He told me, "It begins."