Right now I’m sitting in one of my favorite stores – Barnes and Noble. Since my family bought me a new battery for my laptop, I can sit in the comfy chairs and launch into my techno world without looking for a nearby plug. See, things can bring happiness. (All the while understanding only a loving God can bring us joy). And I am completely happy and content uploading precious pictures of my Isaac and Hudson while watching those around me.

A couple of minutes ago a young father tooled into the store with a shopping cart and little baby in his arms and sat down right across from me. I have to admit my first thought was, “I bet he’s babysitting.” Well, honestly, he can’t be babysitting, it’s got to be his baby because he had love woven into each action. He sat down, put his baby sideways on his lap and pulled out a bottle. He plopped it into the baby’s mouth. Of course my cynical mind thought, “Yeah, plug it in so you can have a break.” But once again this young father surprised me.

He lovingly looked down at the baby and wiped a dribble off his chin with his thumb after reaching for his own bottle – a slurpee drink. Right at that moment the baby looked up at him and took the bottle out of his mouth. The father took the bottle and set his down on the table and held the bottle for his little boy. In a moment the father connected with his child and forgot all about his own wants. Then the most precious thing happened. The little baby, not over 6 months old, reached for his daddy’s hand as if to say, “Oh Daddy, I love it when you hold me!”

A second or two later the father pulled the little one’s blanket out of the shopping cart and laid it alongside the baby’s face and side in a gentle, protective manner. All this happened and just a couple of minutes, but it was enough to see that this father wasn’t babysitting. He was building a life. Our children can tell when we KNOW them. They can tell when we LOVE them. They can tell when our needs are not important when we see they have a NEED. They can see just like I saw. It’s not anything you can script. It has to come from the heart and is obvious to all around. It’s nothing that can be counterfeited. Love is obvious and REAL. Love makes all the DIFFERENCE.