I Hope I Can Love Like My Daughter

My daughter is many things. Most acquaintances seem to view her as a child with Down syndrome who can't speak very well and is often sick. People who know her well often describe her as joyful, friendly, and a girl with a big personality. Jaycee is all of those things and much more.

What always touches my heart the most when I watch my daughter is her ability to love people. She oozes love. She doesn't care if it's a stranger or a familiar person. She is not shy to display her love.

Last weekend, I took Jaycee to a pumpkin patch. As she waited in line to get her face painted, she was surrounded by a few other little girls. A younger child sat in a seat patiently waiting for her turn. Jaycee bent over and kissed her on the head three times in the span of five minutes. Jaycee would smile brightly after each kiss as she looked at the little girl who didn't quite know how to take Jaycee's affection.

Some people may see Jaycee's affectionate displays as inappropriate given her age of 12. She doesn't often go around hugging and kissing strangers, let me be clear. But, she does have moments when she will spontaneously love on people-usually younger children. I don't mind it, because I wish I was more outgoing and loving like her.

Our society doesn't act like her, me included. I don't go around hugging and loving on most people, especially strangers. I hold back my feelings and am more reserved.

I think my daughter loves on people the way God wants us to- holding nothing back. She doesn't wait for the person to reach out to her for love; she gives it away first with no expectation of it being returned. But, that's not the only way my daughter loves well.

Jaycee gets along with people who are sometimes difficult to love. I shared my perplexity to my father over Jaycee's attachment to a particular person. I expressed how I didn't understand why that person responded so well to Jaycee given that the individual didn't often express happiness for most people. My father responded, "It's easy to understand. Jaycee loves everyone with no judgment. That person can feel it."

That made sense to me. Jaycee doesn't have the same views about people. She is able to recognize what's good in people. She doesn't hold grudges. She doesn't get an attitude with people. She is a good person. She loves and loves well.

When I read scriptures about God's love, I know my daughter is closer to walking in that love than I. She's a gift. I hope I can be more like her one day.

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:34-35 NKJV