I Miss You Always
When Two Distant Hearts Brought Together in a Hug
One day at the Child Development Center at Portland Community College, during my internship, a little boy stirred awake from his afternoon nap and suddenly looked crestfallen. I quietly walked over, knelt down, and asked what was troubling him. Out of nowhere, his eyes welled up: he said that he missed his mother.
“I completely understand.” I told him gently.
He rubbed his eyes and whispered that she was coming to pick him up later in the afternoon.
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“She loves you so much,” I said softly. “She wants you to have a wonderful day here at school, and before you know it, you are going to have a great dinner together with your family at home.”
He paused for a moment and said, “I love pizza.”
The sudden detour made me smile instantly. We spent the next few minutes eagerly discussing every kind of pizza imaginable — pepperoni, cheese, and funny toppings. After the conversation about pizza, I asked if a hug might help him feel better, and he gave me a quiet nod.
I folded him into a warm, snug embrace. Holding him close, I could feel his round little belly rising and falling in steady, gentle breaths against my chest. In that quiet embrace, he felt so much like my own young son. Without warning, a lump rose in my throat, and I missed my own boy so much.
“What is he doing right now?”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I was holding him tight. Neither of us pulled away. We just stayed there, wrapped in that quiet hug, as if time had paused just for us.
