"Do you Believe, Mommy?"
At the sweet age of 6 or 7, Belle came home from school, with heartache. Asking me this question. The little boy sitting next my sweet girl, took it upon himself to proclaim that the children's parents weren't being honest with them. He did this one day during the class story time. Needless to say the poor teacher was put out fires. At the time I was so upset. I understood the family's thoughts behind it with a strong sense of faith. Yet at that moment I too was heartbroken.
She is my one and only, the little one I get to have this excitement with and I get to do it only once in my lifetime. So for me I took this personally, how could they take this from me I was thinking. I have only one first and one set of once in a lifetime moments all at the same time. I don't get to see their first steps, I only get to see hers. My Belle is my once in a lifetime moments.
It was the year her Santa list asked for only one thing. "Dear Santa, are you real", "does Momma tell the truth?" and if he was real could he leave something to prove it. Something she could share with the class to show them the reason to believe. She asked for nothing else that year, except to Believe.....
As the holiday came closer my sweet girl became more and more anxious, should she have asked for something else.
That Christmas morning she awoke to find this very old, very wore, very heavy bell. It was a bell from the sleigh.
Santa knew that in life all it takes is one to believe in the pure heart. The goodness of a spirit, a spirit filled with anticipation and joy...
In our home we believe in all that is good and we have faith that binds us in strength and forgiveness...
With the holiday break over that year Belle wanted to take the bell for sharing. As her parents it was a decision that didn't come lightly. First we didn't want to lose this treasure, and we wanted everyone in her class to continue to believe. To believe in a spirit of the season. After visiting with the teacher and special travel arrangement's the bell travelled to school.
It was as if a national treasure came to sharing that day, and even though the little boy thought better of it. He too found a spirit and respect for a sense of joy that holiday.
Since that year the bell rests front and center in the beautiful decorations. It is admired and it is treasured, because it reminds us that to have faith in something doesn't always have be something that is tangible.
Belle has now doubled in age and the other day I found her in the front room admiring her bell and with a tear in her eye she looked at me and asked "Mom, do you Believe still?".... With truth and conviction I simply said yes. Her answer was, " Good Me too..."
I believe in every first moment and that was another of "ours" toward a growing young woman. One that will always understand a spirit in her heart.
It just takes one......to Believe..... In the spirit of the holidays....I wish you many blessings...~L
